AX4 Turbulence at Cruising Altitude
by KennaC
Summary: Back in the thick of the war after an extended R&R in Hawaii, the Team begins to suspect that someone wants them out of the way. But who? Maybe Sydney Wilson, their recon agent, can figure it out, but will she be risking her own life in the process? And will it be too late? Next in my Decent into Darkness series, sequel to Pushing the Envelope, this continues my take on how the A-
1. Prologue Paradise Lost

Usual disclaimer regarding ownership. Mr. Cannell owns the characters of the A-Team - I just like to take them out and play.

Sorry it's been so long since I posted. Real life has been consuming, so writing goes slow. This story is complete, so I'll be posting it in its entirety over the next several days as time permits.

I hope you enjoy!

 **Prologue Paradise Lost**

Subtle changes in light intruded on Captain HM Murdock's fitful slumber. Opening his eyes, he drank in the vivid oranges and pinks of dawn over the Pacific Ocean. A gentle breeze wafted through the open French doors carrying the soft scent of salt and flowers. The entire scene was accompanied by a symphony of tropical birds and lapping waves.

Hawaii was utopia.

Rolling over, an expanse of cold sheets greeted him. No, it wasn't utopia. Not anymore. Not without Sydney.

"You're awake."

He sat up and turned to face the pretty, petite woman that entered from the veranda. With an effort, he forced his lips into a smile.

"Mornin', Katie. How ya doin' sweetie?"

Sighing, Kate sank onto the edge of the bed. "It just isn't the same now that they're gone."

"I know."

"Our last day in an island paradise and I can't even muster the energy to face it." Her gaze was sad as she looked at him. "Nothing's the same without Jak."

"I miss Syd too. But we'll see 'em again real soon."

Kate chuckled. "Seems strange. Who ever would have thought I'd want to leave Hawaii to go to Vietnam?"

With a rueful grin, Murdock said, "It is kinda funny how a single person can make hell seem like heaven."

Patting Murdock's face, Kate said, "That's because it isn't about the geography. It's about the people."

"When you're right, you're right, Katie."

Murdock laid back and stared at the ceiling. He'd be heading back to Vietnam quite willingly tomorrow morning. The Team – his family – was probably the biggest reason. Where they were going, he would follow. But there was no denying that the presence of a certain little CIA spook made the journey back to war-torn Vietnam seem less like an obligation. She could make any place feel like heaven to him.

Syd was his home.

sssss

Syd put her hands on Jak's shoulders as he lifted her down from the chopper. Scanning the visible area, she was disappointed to see only Kate and Lewis awaiting their arrival.

Where could the guys be? They were due back to Nha Trang at least a few hours ahead of Jak and her.

Kate ran up and wrapped her in a warm embrace. "I'm so glad to see you, Syd!" Then she hissed in Syd's ear, "Lew and Morrison ambushed the guys as soon as we landed."

Pulling back from the nurse, Syd said, "It's good to see you, Kate. How was Hawaii?"

"Absolutely gorgeous! How about Tokyo?"

Jak gave a disgruntled snort.

"Tokyo is big, noisy and fuckin' crowded." Casting a sour look at Lewis. "I'd've rather been in Hawaii."

"But we had fun on Okinawa," Syd said, giving Jak's waist a squeeze. "It wasn't so bad."

Pressing his lips to her forehead, Jak said, "Sweetheart, you make just 'bout anywhere tolerable."

Lewis had stepped forward, his emotionless countenance all too familiar, even after over a week away.

"Hey, Lew," Syd said with a smirk. "Miss me?"

"You could say that." An odd light entered Lew's leonine eyes. "Aren't you going to ask where they are?"

"Who?" Syd asked.

Lew actually smiled. "Very good, Sydney. Tell me, did you have fun with your new flyboy toy?"

Stepping up to Lew, Sydney intentionally encroached on his personal space. It didn't seem to bother him.

"As a matter of fact, I did."

Lew lifted an eyebrow. "Well, it's time to get back to work. The Team is in briefing two."

"I just need to take my bags to my hooch and change –"

"No time." Lew turned and began striding away.

Syd stared after him for a few seconds, then looked at Kate and Jak. "I guess… I have to go."

"I'll take yer bag back to your hooch, Syd," Jak said, leaning down to give her a peck on the lips. "Stop by 'n see me later?"

Smiling at him, Syd said, "I will."

"Let's go, Sydney," Lew said over his shoulder. "They're waiting for us."

 _TaCA_


	2. Chapter 1 Selling the Extension

Disclaimer: No ownership claimed over the A-Team. The plot is all mine, for better or worse.

Happy reading!

 **Chapter 1 Selling the Extension**

Syd had to jog to catch up to Lewis as they made their way from the airfield to SOG tactical. "What's so hot and heavy?"

"Phase-out strategy," Lew said. "Or rather, anti-phase-out strategy. Morrison is in negotiation with SOG HQ regarding the possibility of leaving behind a few small units, modeled after Smith's A-Team, to continue to provide intelligence."

"What does that have to do with us? Is it a joint effort with the CIA?" Syd asked.

"That remains to be seen," Lew said. "The truth is, the Military would like to go it alone, but Morrison is convinced of the synergy. Pentagon East seems cautiously supportive, but it may require a defection from the 5th. So far, Smith has been… resistant to the idea."

Sydney's mind raced as they headed into the building. What could this mean? What game was Morrison playing? It really made her nervous in light of her suspicions about him being involved in drug and gun smuggling. Her only consolation was that it sounded like Hannibal was at least taking her advice and being cautious where his CO was concerned.

There was no further chance to contemplate the issue as she followed Lew into the briefing room. Ray, Face and Murdock stood like sentinels in the background, expressions stony. Hannibal had a cigar clenched between his teeth and paced back and forth in front of a table in the center of the room. Morrison stood on the other side of the table, arms crossed, face in shadow.

"It's about time you fucking showed up, Lewis," Morrison growled.

"Wilson got off the chopper less than five minutes ago. We got here as fast as we could." Lewis said flatly.

Morrison's only acknowledgement was a grunt.

Feeling a bit reckless, Sydney smirked in the General's direction as she moved into the room, taunting, "It's nice to see you again, too, sir."

Hannibal stopped pacing and turned to face Sydney. "It's good to see you, Syd – we missed you in Hawaii. Did you have a good time in Tokyo?"

Syd pressed her lips together to hide her grin. Hannibal was already bolstering their cover. The fact was, Syd and Jak had only spent a couple days in Japan before joining the Team in Hawaii. Reinforcing the illusion that they stayed there for their entire leave was a good strategy, and she went along just like they'd practiced.

"Not bad. For future reference, though, Jak hates the city. We ended up spending most of our time on Okinawa."

By then, Ray, Face and HM had surrounded her, offering their own greetings. Even though she studiously avoided looking directly at HM, her body reacted to his proximity. She was almost relieved when Morrison barked, "Enough!"

All attention returned to him, and Sydney removed herself from the circle of men to stand against the side wall as Morrison continued, "R&R is over. You wanted Wilson here for this discussion and she's here. Now let's get back to the issue at hand…"

Hannibal crossed his arms and faced his CO. His icy blue eyes sparked with a challenge, but his general expression was guarded.

 _That's good_ , Syd thought.

"We're due to head state-side within the next three months," Hannibal said. "Now you're telling me you want to extend our tour. I have to admit, I'm not thrilled with the prospect, _General_."

The formality of Hannibal's little speech was telling. Sydney suspected the discussion had been less than friendly before Lew and she arrived.

Morrison moved to the side of the table, and gave Hannibal a pacifying smile.

"Hannibal, be reasonable. Holladay, McCraney, Cole and Burrows have all agreed to an extension with a hand-picked group from each of their teams. But they need someone… they need _you_ and your men, to teach them how to do what your team does."

The names Morrison had rattled off were those of the other alpha team leaders under his command. Given that Campbell, a fifth, and now dead, alpha team leader under Morrison, had been involved in the smuggling network, Sydney wondered if the others were as well. Certain that Hannibal and his men were _not_ involved, Syd was left wondering, once again, what Morrison was up to with this latest move. She didn't trust the man at all. But at this point she could only hope that her outspoken suspicions, voiced while they were in Hawaii, were enough to counter Hannibal's long-standing trust of his commander and friend, Russ Morrison.

Hannibal shook his head. "It doesn't work like that, Russ. You know what I've gone through to assemble my team… hell, you were the one that encouraged and supported me through the process. Weaning the other alphas down to a few select men is not going to result in the same makeup."

"Green Berets are the best of the best, Hannibal, and we're taking the cream of that crop. This will work."

"Best of the best out of a bunch of great soldiers is not the same as my team. Part of the reason this works," Hannibal said, making a motion to encompass his team members standing behind him, "is that these men are independent, out-of-the-box, thinkers. You aren't necessarily going to find that, even if they are Green Berets."

Morrison's lips pressed into a thin line. "So you think your team is better than the others."

Hannibal's jaw tightened briefly before he responded.

"Not better. Just different."

Sydney agreed with one thing he'd said – Hannibal's A-Team was different. Second Lieutenant Ray Brenner, engineer of the group, was a hot headed know-it-all. First Lieutenant Templeton 'Face' Peck, the supply officer, was a first-class con artist and opportunist. And Captain HM Murdock, pilot and intelligence officer, was a smart ass and a total caution when he was behind the stick. Then there were the two enlisted members of the Team. Sergeant BA Baracus, communications specialist, had a lousy attitude, especially where officers were concerned. And Sergeant Remington 'Gravy' Gravois, weapons specialist, was a disenfranchised, disgruntled Cajun.

Finally there was their leader, Lieutenant Colonel John 'Hannibal' Smith – a reckless renegade who put little stock in the chain of command. Together, these six men formed a very different style of A-Team from Morrison's other teams. However, she couldn't have disagreed more with the other part of Hannibal's statement. Because as far as Syd was concerned, his A-Team _was_ better than the others.

In fact, it was _the best_.

mmmmm

"Hannibal, you know better than anyone the efficacy of a team like yours. Just imagine if we could clone Shuai-Jan and deploy it across South Vietnam. The NVA wouldn't stand a chance."

Murdock crossed his arms, leaned in the corner and watched Morrison warily. At least the general was making an effort to win them over to the idea now, instead of barking orders. Appealing to their vanity as a team was a smooth tactic. Far better than the antagonism that had initially greeted them.

Upon their return to Nha Trang about an hour and a half before, Morrison and Lewis had met them at the airfield and declared an urgent meeting in briefing two in half an hour. Then, when they had gathered, Morrison's first order of business had been to send BA and Gravy away as enlisted men.

Once it became clear what Morrison wanted to talk to them about, though, Hannibal had blown a gasket about BA and Gravy being excluded from the discussion. As Hannibal had said – or rather shouted – enlisted or not, this kind of decision affected them just like it did the officers. Morrison had cut the argument off with a statement about them belonging to the Army and it wasn't a democracy. That had set the tone.

Then Hannibal had raised the issue of Syd's absence and another shouting match had ensued. Morrison made no mystery out of his disdain for the female CIA agent that had shown up at Nha Trang a few months ago. But Sydney Wilson represented a unique and undeniable asset. Though the brass had little idea what to do with her, they were reluctant to let her go. In fact, she was exactly the kind of person to attract Hannibal's attention. _And mine_ , Murdock thought with a smirk. At least now there was no more shouting.

Hannibal shrugged in disagreement. "We've had alpha teams deployed across this country for the last several years. And we're still struggling to make inroads against the NVA."

This was all stuff they debated ad nauseam, and Murdock's focus waivered as his gaze drifted to where Syd stood on the other side of the room. Her wide, blue eyes were fixed on the two men standing in the center of the room, following the unfolding conversation raptly. Her long blonde hair was pulled back in a pony tail, and she was still wearing shorts and a tank top, providing ample view of her smooth, sun-kissed skin.

"I agree, Hannibal. The traditional teams have had successes but not enough to counter our failures. Your team, on the other hand, has a success rate that we could leverage to turn the tide."

Murdock couldn't take his eyes off Syd. It had been two days since she and Jak had left the Team in Hawaii to head back to Tokyo. It was all part of the plan to maintain the illusion that they had spent their entire leave apart. Two days and he already craved the touch and smell of her skin. Shifting his feet uncomfortably, he turned so he was facing Hannibal and Morrison again – and more importantly away from Syd.

"I think the general's on the right track with this plan, Colonel Smith," Lewis said. "Your team represents a force that meets the enemy on their own footing – matching guerrilla warfare with guerrilla warfare. We need to clone your style to succeed in Vietnam."

As much as Murdock often agreed with Lewis, at least on tactical principal, he still despised the man. It was because of him that he couldn't be with Sydney openly. That was why it was essential that Lewis believe that Syd and Jak had spent their leave in Japan. Because if Lew found out that they had joined the Team in Hawaii he would be livid.

Hannibal crossed his arms, asking scathingly, "Since when do you hold my team in such high regard, Lewis?"

Murdock nodded approval of the sentiment. The truth was that he didn't much care about Lewis or the off-limits rule. But he knew Lew could make Syd's life miserable, and Murdock did care about that.

Lew's eyes flashed in an unusual show of anger. "I've always held your team in high regard, Smith. If I didn't I wouldn't work with you."

Murdock considered the fact that Lew'd be even more furious if he found out that, despite appearances, Syd wasn't actually with Jak. After his week together with Syd in Hawaii, there was no doubt in Murdock's mind that she was as in love with him as he was with her. Despite everything that stood between them, including Lewis and the off-limits bullshit, they were irresistibly drawn to each other.

"Despite our differences, gentlemen, I think we can all agree that there is a high level of mutual respect that needs to be acknowledged," Morrison said, his tone placating. "If this strategy is going to be a success, we need to work together."

Together. Murdock grimaced. Now that they were back in Nha Trang it would be tough to find time for Syd and him to be together. That was part of the reason he was so opposed to this idea of General Morrison's, and it made him feel like a disloyal coward. But even as committed as he was to his team, Murdock was very ready to return to the Real World and leave the hellhole of Vietnam behind. He was ready to start a normal life with Sydney by his side as his wife.

"My team has done their time," Hannibal said firmly.

"I know that," Morrison said, stepping closer to Murdock's CO and meeting his gaze intently. "But if you don't take this assignment your team could be stuck here until everyone else pulls out. All I'm suggesting is a six-month extension. Trust me, Hannibal, this is the best option all the way around."

Murdock's jaw clenched reflexively. That sounded almost like a veiled threat. He wasn't sure he trusted anything about Morrison any more. After nearly being thrown under the bus by the man over what had happened to Campbell and his team, Murdock was especially wary. He suspected – or maybe hoped – that Hannibal was too.

"This isn't about trust, Russ, and you know it," Hannibal responded evenly.

"But it is about loyalty, Lieutenant Colonel Smith, and I know you and your Team are loyal American soldiers," Morrison said. "That's why I know you'll do this. Don't make me beg, Hannibal."

Murdock gave a sigh of resignation. Given his position, and Syd's, it was going to take a minor miracle to make it possible for them to move forward into a normal life together, at least in the near future. But Murdock could be endlessly patient and very dogged about reaching his goals.

And a normal life with Syd was now his primary goal.

 _TaCA_


	3. Chapter 2 Hidden Desire

Disclaimer: Plot and OCs are all mine for better or worse, but I don't own the A-Team and related characters.

Thanks for the welcome back. I know it's been awhile. Hopefully the wait was at least somewhat worth it.

Happy reading!

 **Chapter 2 Hidden Desire**

"Knock, knock."

Sydney looked up from unpacking and grinned as Face and HM entered her hooch. Morrison had dismissed Lew and her rather perfunctorily once it became evident that Hannibal's Team was on board.

"Hey! I was wondering how much longer Morrison was going to hold you guys."

"We got into some preliminary planning. He wants each of us to be thinking about how we're going to train the new team members in our roles." Face wrinkled his nose as he dropped onto Syd's bed, lacing his hands behind his head and laying back as if it were his own.

"I'm not real clear what the hell I'm s'posed to be doin'," HM said, sitting in Syd's desk chair and leaning it back on two legs. "Ain't none o' those boys gonna have the first clue 'bout flyin' a slick."

"Like Hannibal said, it's impossible to take a traditional alpha team and turn it into what we have," Face said.

Syd leaned on her desk and crossed her arms. "So when does the training start?"

"Probably not until after the new year," HM said. "Morrison's givin' us that long to get our training plan pulled together. Hannibal tol' us afterwards that Morrison still has to sell it to the brass. But we're s'posed to prep like it's a done deal."

"Does that mean no missions?" Syd asked hopefully.

"I don't know about that," Face hedged. "Sounded like Morrison already has a couple jobs lined up for us. Called them game changers."

Not liking the sound of that, Syd asked, "So Morrison expects you to keep up with your normal work _and_ train the new teams? Typical."

"Don' worry," HM drawled, his lazy smile doing funny things to Syd's insides. "Face and me'll still make time for ya."

Syd looked pointedly away from his provocative gaze, "Gee, thanks."

"Any time, sugar."

Face sat up and caught Syd's eye. "Speaking of making time… I picked up a bottle of good, single malt scotch before we left Hawaii. I think we should plan an evening on the beach."

"Now that sounds good," HM said with a broad smile.

"I'm game," Syd agreed. Face and HM were the best friends she had ever had and she cherished the time they spent together like that.

There was another knock at the door and Lew strode in.

"You haven't changed."

"I was just unpacking," Syd said.

"And bullshitting with these two," Lewis said distastefully. "Get into your fatigues. We have a briefing of our own to get to."

"When and where?"

"Our offices in five minutes."

Sydney grunted. "Fine. I'll meet you there."

"Don't be late."

Lew's cold gaze passed over Face and lingered on HM, who smirked at him.

"Gee it's great to see ya, Lewis," HM mocked.

"Don't fuck with me, flyboy," Lew muttered.

"I love fuckin' with ya, man," HM said. "My favorite pastime."

"We have some unfinished business," Lewis said.

"I'm ready whenever you are."

"Later," Lewis said. "That's a promise."

He turned and walked out of the hooch without another word.

With a rough push to the chair HM was sitting in, Syd forced it forward onto all four legs, causing the pilot to flail to keep himself from falling. At times he could be such an ass.

"Why do you insist on goading him, Murdock?"

"I can' help it," Murdock said with a grimace. "He pisses me off."

Face laughed. "Yeah, well I think the feeling is mutual."

Syd gave a disgruntled snort. "You both need to get lost so I can change."

Face stood, "Maybe we'll catch up with you at dinner."

"No idea what I'm in for, but if I can make it I'll see you at the mess hall," Syd said as Face walked out the door.

Turning, she found Murdock was just pushing to his feet. As the door swung shut behind Face, HM took a step forward and grinned at her.

"I was thinkin' maybe I could help you out," he said, dark eyes sparking with mischief.

Syd considered him curiously. "Help me with what?"

"Help you get changed," he said with a wolfish grin, taking another step closer.

"HM, what in the hell do you think you're doing?" Syd hissed, taking a surprised step away from him.

"Murdock, are you comin'?" Face's head appeared in the door.

"Right behind ya, Faceman," HM said, though his eyes never left Syd's face.

As the door swung shut again, HM quickly closed the distance between them and leaned down to give Sydney a brief, but intense kiss. An electric jolt seemed to run from the point of contact, out to her extremities, and back into her core.

He pulled back just enough to murmur, "I missed ya, sugar."

"I miss you, too."

She nearly stumbled when HM suddenly moved away from her as the door slammed open again.

"Come on, Murdock. If we don't jet, Syd's gonna get in deep shit with Lew for bein' late."

"I'm comin'," HM said irritably.

At the door, he turned and looked back at her. "Catch ya later, Syd."

"'Bye," she said, annoyed by the breathless sound of her own voice.

HM grinned and winked at her before disappearing out the door. Dropping onto her bed, it took a full minute of deep breathing to get herself back into the right frame of mind for a formal briefing with her colleagues.

 _How the hell did he do that?_

mmmmm

Murdock jogged to catch up with Face then slowed to fall into step next to his friend. He could still taste Syd on his lips, and he ached with his need for her. He knew he was in trouble. It had only been two days since she'd left Hawaii, and already he was obsessing over when he'd be able to be alone with her again.

"Syd's right, you know."

Face's voice broke into Murdock's thoughts.

"What?"

"You gotta stop goading Lewis like that," Face said, matter-of-factly. "Leave it to Jak – Lew's his problem now."

Murdock chuckled. "Lewis is just a fuckin' problem, Face. You don' like 'im anymore'n I do. And Jak ain't no match for him."

With a smirk, Face said, "Well, you got a point there. What the hell does Syd see in that hayseed, anyway?"

"Why ya gotta rag on Jak all the time?" Murdock asked. "He's a good guy, Face."

"I know, I know. It's just… he's not right for Syd."

Murdock decided it was probably best to just drop the subject. Pushing into the barracks, he spied Ray – just the guy who could help him with his current dilemma.

"Hey, Ray!"

mmmmm

Ray turned at the sound of Murdock's voice. The pilot was striding toward him purposefully.

"Whatcha need, kid?"

"I was hoping you could help me with a li'l problem…"

Murdock glanced sideways, shooting an uneasy glance at his best friend. Face had followed him into the barracks, but had made a beeline for his locker, where he now stood combing his hair in front of a small mirror.

Knowing there was only one secret the pilot was keeping from his friend that he wasn't keeping from him, Ray nodded toward the door. "I'm on my way to the motor pool. Walk with me."

"I'll catch up with ya later for dinner, Face."

Face waved a hand, barely distracted from his primping by his friend's departure.

Outside, Murdock shoved his hands deep in his pockets, head bowed as he walked beside Ray. The kid looked miserable. Ray sighed.

"Look, Murdock, I know what you're going to ask and it's too soon. Syd just got back and Lew's on high alert."

Murdock's head lifted, his sharp eyes scanning the area before he turned that piercing gaze on Ray.

"Lew's always on high alert where Syd and me'r concerned. I need to be with Syd, Ray. _I need her._ "

Shaking his head, Ray said, "You know I know what ya mean, kid. But now? Lew's gonna be all over Syd, so getting you two alone, together, off his radar is going to be as near to impossible as anything we've ever done."

Ray groaned out loud at the manic grin that lit Murdock's face.

"Impossible is our forte, though, ain't it, Ray? C'mon, don't tell me you aren't up to the challenge."

It was impossible not to laugh at the validity of the statement. Their Team was famous for the missions they had pulled off in the last year. Missions that the brass claimed were suicides. But Hannibal knew his Team and he knew what they were capable of accomplishing.

The fact of the matter was that it wasn't so much that they could pull off the impossible, but that Hannibal could envision what was possible with his Team of misfit soldiers.

Blowing out a breath, Ray gave Murdock a long sideways look. "I'll run it past Hannibal."

With a wide grin, Murdock clapped him on the shoulder. "That's all I'm askin'. Thanks, Ray!"

Ray watched as Murdock loped away. He was heading toward the airfield – either out of necessity, or more likely out of habit. The kid had always been more at home in the air than on the ground.

Though on the ground, he was pretty damn good.

With a cocky grin Ray turned back toward Hannibal's hooch.

Weren't they all?

mmmmm

"It's a bad idea."

Hannibal knocked back a shot of whiskey and leaned forward to refill the glass. Ray swirled the amber liquid in his own glass, contemplating his response.

Finally he said, "But you know how he is, Hannibal. If we don't help he's gonna do somethin' reckless. Then what?"

Leaning back in his chair, his CO chuckled. "When you're right, you're right. Might be entertaining."

"And you might lose your pilot in the process."

One eyebrow quirked up, Hannibal was silent for several seconds. Ray suspected he was running the possible scenarios through. Hannibal heaved a sighed and sank back in his chair.

"Yeah. We can't have that."

"So…"

"The motor pool."

Ray stared at him. "What?"

"Our workshop at the motor pool is kept locked. And it is the last place Lewis would look for either of them. You still have that ambulance in there, don't you?"

"Uh, yeah. BA has some hair brained idea of armor plating the thing but we haven't had the time… or the need."

"Throw a mattress in the back. It may not be the Hilton, but it's better than nothing and it'll be fairly secure. We'll just have to work out the logistics to get them both there at the same time without raising Lew's suspicion. Piece of cake."

Ray was less confident then his CO, but echoed the sentiment any way.

"Piece of cake."

 _TaCA_


	4. Chapter 3 Preempted Plans

Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own the A-Team.

Another chapter for good measure. Happy reading!

 **Chapter 3 Preempted Plans**

"Hey, Murdock!"

Turning at the sound of Ray's voice, Murdock felt excitement lick along his nerves. The smugness in the determined set to his jaw was a sure give away.

Ray had figured out how to get him and Syd some time together off Lewis's radar.

Murdock waved and then spoke to Harris. "Hey, chief, think we can continue this tomorrow? I gotta jet."

The smirk on Harris's face prepared Murdock for the jibe that was coming.

"It's good to have you back, but truth is that you just get in the way most o' the time, Cap. Take off. We got it from here."

Murdock turned and ran to Ray's side. "You figured it out?"

"Our motor pool garage. I put an old mattress in the back of the ambulance. Here's a key. I'll give Syd one, too."

Murdock snatched the key out of Ray's hand. "Perfect! Thanks a million, Ray."

"Not so fast, Romeo," Ray said. "We're going to have to be tricky about the logistics. Lew's one of the best spies on this base, and he's going to figure it out quick if we aren't careful."

Shoving the key in his pocket, Murdock grunted in frustration. "Fine. What do you have in mind?"

"It's going to take me a couple of days," Ray said in a low, intense whisper. "I need to figure out how Lew's keeping an eye on the two of you. Because I'm sure he is. Then we'll come up with a strategy to get around his surveillance."

Recognizing the wisdom behind the tactic, Murdock wasn't thrilled with the delay.

"A couple of days?"

Ray glared at him. "I know you don't want to blow this, Murdock, so don't do anything stupid. Keep it up with Katie. Make it look good. Got it?"

"Yeah. I got it."

Ray's burst of laughter made Murdock look up in surprise. Ray clapped him on the shoulder.

"Kid, I don't think you could look any more hang dog. We'll work it out. Why don't you go see Kate now – that'll cheer you up."

Looking after his teammate as he strode away, Murdock realized why Ray had acted so strangely. Standing nearby, arms crossed, blatantly watching him, was Lewis. Murdock pasted a grin on his face and wiggled his fingers at the man. Lew motioned him over.

Murdock tensed, remembering their unfinished business. Syd would be endlessly pissed at him if he got in a brawl with Lew on their first day back.

He shoved his hands into his pockets and ambled over. "What's up?"

"I need the services of you and your crew," Lew said.

"Kills ya, don't it?" Murdock asked with a smirk.

"Can you do your job without being a prick?"

Murdock pressed his lips together. Lew was right, he was being a prick. But then he figured it was Lew's own fault. The agent had always brought out the worst in him.

Nodding his head, Murdock asked, "Where do you need dropped?"

"Our usual. North end," Lew said.

Feeling a knot of dread form in his stomach, he responded more peevishly then he intended. "I told you the last time, it's too hot up there."

"Then drop us where you dropped us last time."

Murdock ground his teeth. "Syd goin' with ya?"

"Yes."

"You think that's such a good idea given what happened the last time she was up there?"

"She's gotta get back on the horse, Murdock. She has a job to do, too. Besides, she's the one that said she needed to go. I'm just tagging along on this one." Lew turned away dismissively, throwing over his shoulder, "Be ready at o-five-hundred tomorrow. We'll meet you at the field."

So much for the garage retreat with Syd. Two days wait would likely turn into two weeks. Or more.

 _Damn_.

 _TaCA_

Sydney walked into the mess hall and scanned the tables. It only took her a moment to spy HM. Even at this distance, she could see the irritation in the way he slouched against the wall and didn't engage with his teammates sitting with him.

Getting into line, she kept one eye on him, gauging his attitude and preparing for his reaction to what she knew Lewis had told him. It was always a challenge figuring out how the former intelligence agent turned pilot was going to respond to the curve balls she tended to throw at him.

She wondered why he didn't tell her to take a hike.

Just the thought made her heart constrict. It had been two days since she'd left him in Hawaii. It felt like an eternity. Even knowing that he was likely furious with her at the moment, she was anxious to get to the table just to be with him. That wasn't normal, not for her. She didn't need anyone _like that_.

At least she never had before.

As she approached the table, a chorus of 'hey's greeted her, though HM remained notably silent. Ray slid to the side, nudging BA down the bench and allowing her to take a seat directly across from the pilot. Face sat next to HM, and next to Face was Gravy.

"A sullen little birdie tells me you're headed out in the morning, Syd" Face said.

Syd sighed. "Yes. We'll probably be gone a few weeks."

HM shifted. Sydney caught his eye and recognized the censure in those intelligent brown orbs. Her own irritation at his unspoken opinion exploded in a single exclamation. "What?"

"I didn't say anything," he mumbled.

"But you want to," she challenged.

The other men at the table fell silent, watching the two of them with blatant interest.

HM's jaw worked for a few seconds before he bent toward her, eyes flashing in anger. "Yer too stubborn to listen anyway so what's the fucking point."

"It's my job, HM."

"Fuck the job, Syd."

"So you don't think I can handle it?"

She allowed the hurt she felt to come through in her tone of voice, knowing it would strike a nerve. She started to stand, but HM reached across the table and stopped her with a hand on her arm. His eyes were wide, reflecting a jumble of emotions that tugged at her.

His grip on her arm tightened, and she sat back down as he blurted, "That ain't what I said! Please don' go, sugar. I'm sorry. I – I'm just worried."

She sighed. "I know, HM. I'm worried, too. But I have to go."

His next syllable came out strangled. "Why?"

She patted his hand comfortingly, but then pulled away. It wouldn't do to be too demonstrative in the mess hall. Someone was bound to notice. She leaned in to allow her to speak in a quiet tone and all of the men huddled close, obviously curious. The only one she really focused on was HM, though. She needed to make him understand.

"I remember, just before…" she swallowed and steadied herself. "Just before what happened, I heard Kyeh say that Reynolds was killed by an American. I didn't get the chance to look into it before we left, and I think it's critical to find out what I can. The longer I wait the colder the trail is. It may already be too late."

HM shook his head. "Why would Reynolds be killed and strung up by his own side? It don't make sense, Syd. Are you sure you ain't on a snipe hunt?"

"Maybe. But I have to check it out. My instincts are telling me it's all related to the smuggling ring that got Campbell killed."

Murdock's eyes closed, head shaking slowly. "Syd, that is not your job."

Face nodded in agreement, reinforcing his best friend's statement. "He's right, Syd. You left the task force behind, remember?"

"The hell it isn't!" Syd said, slapping her hands on the table. She took a deep breath to get her anger under control, reminding herself that they didn't know about her true mission at Nha Trang. Only her ghost supervisor, Peter Quinn knew the truth behind why she was here. But the Team deserved a concrete reason why she felt compelled to do this.

Pressing her hands against the cool table top, she continued in a calmer, quieter voice. "Listen, ferreting out who's behind anything that threatens our troops is my job. You all know I have to do this."

She gave Face an earnest, pleading look, then locked eyes with HM. Recognizing acceptance of her reasoning, she noted that it was accompanied by a deep-seated anxiety for her safety. She smiled softly at him. "I'll be ok."

HM managed a tight smile but remained silent.

Ray broke in, his own smile nearly as tense as he put an arm around her shoulders and squeezed. "We all understand, Syd. You take care of yourself, and we'll be here when you need us."

She leaned into the physical comfort Ray offered. No matter what happened, she knew HM, Face and the guys would be here to help her pick up the pieces. In fact, it was that certainty that gave her the courage she needed to undertake this trip north. She had to hide her smile as she recognized the irony of that.

She suspected HM wouldn't see the humor in it.

 _TaCA_

Murdock landed the chopper back at Nha Trang air base and sat back as the rotors slowed. He'd managed to handle the drop off for Syd and Lewis without losing it. But now that he was back, all the worries inherent in this simple chore crowded his thoughts.

Syd was in the north. Again.

Jakowski thumped him on the arm. "Gonna take off yer gear so's we can do post-flight?"

Murdock lifted off his head gear. It felt like it was made of lead. In fact, it felt like his whole body was made of lead. Weighed down by the knowledge that he'd just left the love of his life deep in enemy territory.

"Hey, Murdock, ya a'right?"

He answered in a monosyllable. "No."

Jak grimaced. "Naw, I guess ya wouldn't be."

Leaning forward, Murdock flicked a few switches and snagged the clipboard with the post-flight checklist. "Remember, you're the one that shouldn't be good with this."

"Lew's gone with Syd," Jak said. "He ain't watchin'."

"So he'll have someone watching in his place," Murdock said, his voice low and angry. "We can't let our guard down Jakowski. Don't fuck this up."

Jak held out a hand toward him, palm down. "You're right, I'm sorry."

Murdock swallowed. Sighed. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to jump down your throat. I'm just worried. Really, really worried."

"Me too, man. Pr'y only a shadow o' what you're feeling, but she's my friend and I care about her too."

"I know," Murdock said, feeling like a total heel. After everything Kate and Jak had done for them, he had no right to berate him.

"Murdock!"

The sound of Hannibal's voice outside the chopper prompted Murdock to pop the door open.

"What's up, Colonel?"

"Morrison just called a meeting. Wrap this up and be in briefing one in half an hour," Hannibal said. "Looks like we're headed out on mission."

As his CO stalked away, Murdock began post-flight with Jak. It would take him the full half hour to finish up and make it to the briefing. He didn't have time to sit and stew about Syd.

Maybe if he was lucky, the mission would be enough to keep his mind off of her for a while. He snorted.

No fucking way.

 _TaCA_


	5. Chapter 4 Easy, Peasy

Disclaimer: I do not own the A-Team.

Enjoy~~~

 **Chapter 4 Easy, Peasy**

Face stripped the wire and attached it to the detonator as BA came back at a crouched run.

"Here the last one, Faceman. How we doin' on time?"

As the big man attached the last lead, Face checked his watch. "T-minus ten minutes and counting. Did you run into any problems?"

"Not one," BA said. "Jus' like Cartwright said – the bridge don't have no garrison protecting it. Seems almost too easy."

"Yeah," Face said. "Way too easy. We better keep sharp."

"I'll keep watch – only thing left now is to wait."

At the designated time, Face counted down and then pushed the trigger. The fireworks made him smile, just like when he was a kid. Not a pillar of the bridge across the gorge was left standing.

BA batted his shoulder, tearing his gaze away from the display. "C'mon, Face, we gotta get to the rendezvous. Murdock should be waiting."

As they made their way back to the designated meeting place, Face found himself looking over his shoulder nervously.

It had been way too easy.

 _TaCA_

Morrison held up his tumbler of whiskey with a wide grin. "To another successful mission by my crack commando unit."

Hannibal clinked his glass against his CO's as his men's voices raised around them in a cocky, "Hear, hear!"

As he sipped his drink, he watched Morrison through narrowed eyes. The general was going out of his way to stroke them on this mission – at least that was the way it seemed to Hannibal. His men had pulled off missions far more difficult and never gotten so much as a thank you, let alone an evening at the Officer's Club with an open bar.

That left him wondering – what was Morrison up to? There had to be an ulterior motive. Hannibal shook his head. He was beginning to wonder if he wasn't allowing Sydney's paranoia to affect him a little too much.

So, Hannibal tried to just relax and enjoy the evening. After all, it wasn't often your CO bought you all the top-shelf whiskey you could handle.

It was past midnight when they left the Officer's Club. Gravy, Face and Murdock were all equally sloshed and singing lewd ditties at the top of their lungs. Ray tried to shush them while guiding them in a weaving course toward the barracks. BA, who never drank anything stronger than whole milk, followed in a brooding silence. He dropped back and fell into step with Hannibal.

"What do you make o' that, Colonel?" BA asked. "Morrison ain't never done nothin' like that for us 'afore – why start now?"

"I don't know, BA," Hannibal said.

Shaking his head, BA said, "All that stuff you said li'l sis was talkin' 'bout – it's got me thinkin' bad stuff 'bout the general. That pr'y ain't good, huh? I mean, maybe he jus' bein' nice."

Clapping the big man on the shoulder, Hannibal said, "Let's go with that until we have reason to think otherwise, BA. I'll see you in the morning."

BA raised a hand in farewell as Hannibal peeled off and headed toward his hooch.

As much as he wanted to believe that Morrison was 'just being nice,' the paranoid, pending-doom feeling just wouldn't go away.

Damn Sydney, anyway.

 _TaCA_

The empty buckets she'd come to fill with water hung from her hands, forgotten as Sydney gazed at the sky ablaze with pinks and oranges. Vietnam could be a truly beautiful place. At times like this she could imagine herself back in Hawaii. If she closed her eyes she could almost feel HM's arms around her… pretend that she was safe; that there wasn't a war being waged all around her.

Quynh's voice interrupted Syd's fantasy.

Without thought, Syd translated Quynh's Vietnamese into English. "Are you ok, sister?"

"Beautiful sunset," Syd responded in the native dialect. "I was just thinking that it was easy to pretend there wasn't a war going on."

Setting one of her buckets down, Quynh put a hand on Syd's shoulder and smiled. "It is a nice dream."

Syd watched as Quynh bent to fill her buckets. Though Lew had given Syd the lecture about not getting too attached to her assets, she had chosen to ignore it. Quynh and her family had taken her in and treated her like a member. Quynh was more than an asset – she was Syd's friend. And if that was against the 'rules' then tough shit.

"Thanh," Quynh prompted, calling Sydney by her native name, "fill your buckets. Unfortunately, there is still a war, and we should get home before dark."

Sydney bent to fill the buckets and then followed Quynh back along the path to the shelter that her extended family shared. Two children played in front of the house and ran to greet them as they approached. Tran, the older of the two at nearly eleven, relieved Sydney of one of her buckets. Lam, Tran's young cousin, was only four years old, and followed his cousin everywhere. Tran smiled and took his hand, leading him into the house as the two women followed.

The house was fairly spacious, by local standards, with an expansive thatched roof supported by several rough-hewn timbers nearly a foot in diameter each. The walls were formed out of mud and grass panels, interspersed with mismatched metal sheeting and some plywood. The inside was illuminated by the dim light of the cooking fire, over which Quynh's mother, Quynh Vu, was bent stirring a thin stew of vegetables from their garden with the meat of a dhole, the wild dog of Vietnam, that one of the older boys had managed to snag earlier in the day. The meat was a rare treat, and one the entire family would share.

Living with this family made Syd appreciate the leisure time she enjoyed at the base. Here on the outskirts of Dien Bien Phu it was all about survival. They were so busy meeting their essential needs that all other concerns, including the war, faded as a backdrop to their daily struggle to eek a living out of the land.

Quynh Vu provided shelter for her extended family, including Quynh and her two sisters and a sister-in-law, as well as all of the grandchildren. Quynh's brother had been conscripted into the VietCong army at the beginning of the war and had protested. As a result, he had been dragged forcibly out of their home and had never returned, leaving behind his wife and their young son. That was part of what drove Quynh to befriend and help Sydney – her hatred for the VC fueling her desire to aid in their downfall however possible.

After dinner, Syd and Quynh helped clean up and then retreated to a corner that Quynh had curtained off to create her own space. It was only a four foot by seven foot area, but in these crowded quarters even that was a luxury.

"Tomorrow I will take you into town," Quynh said as she pulled the curtain shut. "I have learned more about the dead American."

Sitting cross-legged on the floor, Syd asked, "What have you heard?"

"Rumor is that he was to serve as a message to General Kyeh. Apparently the general made someone very powerful very angry."

"But who? Kyeh said he thought Reynolds had been killed by Americans."

"There are many Americans in Vietnam, not just soldiers," Quynh said.

Syd pursed her lips. If this was related to the smuggling ring, as she suspected, it meant that the ring involved North Vietnamese. That would explain the NVA weapons depot that was stocked with American-made weapons that the Team had found earlier this month.

"I don't understand…" Syd murmured, her thoughts spinning. How could greed cause Americans to endanger other Americans? The whole thing sickened her.

"I do not understand either. But perhaps tomorrow we can learn more. Sleep now, my sister."

Syd laid back as Quynh doused the light. Unable to quiet her mind, she chose to channel her thoughts.

Calmed by pleasant memories of her time with HM, Sydney finally drifted into a restful sleep.

 _TaCA_


	6. Chapter 5 Blind Faith

Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own the A-Team.

Happy reading :)

 **Chapter 5 Blind Faith**

Syd crouched in the shadows between two buildings on the Dien Bien Phu VietCong base camp, keeping an eye on General Kyeh's hooch, while awaiting an all-clear signal from Quynh.

It felt like she had lived and worked at this camp for a lifetime, though it had only been a month. It seemed as if she was making little progress in her quest for information on Reynolds' death.

Two weeks ago, she had managed a perusal of the general's official files. Since most of the staff had access to the area it had taken time to learn when she would be unlikely to be disturbed.

Though the official files had yielded some information that could be helpful to the war effort, it hadn't helped with her personal quest. She had handed the intelligence off to Lew, but she wasn't ready to give up on finding out about Reynolds and Kyeh.

Her exchange with Lewis had been brief, but heated. Lewis had wanted to end the mission and head back to Nha Trang, but Sydney had insisted on staying. They had argued. She had reminded him that out here in the field they were partners. She knew she could get more information if given more time. Eventually Lew had capitulated, though not happily.

So here she was on Thanksgiving Day, still in Dien Bien Phu, of her own volition. The fact of the holiday had been preoccupying her all day. She wished she was back in Nha Trang, back with the Team. Back with HM. She missed them all so much, but none of them more than HM. When she was busy, it was easy to push it out of her mind, but today she had far too little too keep her mind busy. And thoughts of HM had plagued her as a result.

She forced her thoughts back to the quandary at hand. The fact that Kyeh kept his hooch locked at all times should have been her first clue that the information that was of interest to her was there. Whatever Kyeh was up to that had resulted in the 'warning' that Reynolds' gruesome death was supposed to convey was likely _not_ official.

She was becoming more and more certain that this was all related to the smuggling ring somehow. But she needed more clues, more links – something to tie Kyeh and Morrison back to the leadership of the ring.

It was crucial that she find out who was at the helm of the ring before anyone learned that she was onto them. She had no doubt that the cleansing at Da Nang would repeat itself at Nha Trang if they suspected that she knew.

Seeing Quynh's signal, Sydney hurried across the dark, dusty track to duck into General Kyeh's personal quarters. It was ten in the evening and the general was at his weekly card game. With Quynh's help, Syd was hoping to have an hour of relative safety to go through the general's personal files.

It took only a few seconds for Syd to pick the lock and get inside. She pulled out her penlight and shaded the end with her hand as she clicked it on, careful to stay away from the windows just in case anyone was passing by outside.

The general's quarters were luxurious compared to most on the base. There was a sleeping area at one end, separated from the remainder of the space by a beautiful wooden screen lacquer painted with a serene rural scene. In the main part of the area was a seating space next to a utilitarian desk. That was where Sydney headed, thankful that the shutters in this corner of the room were closed.

Starting with the drawers of the desk, Syd once again had to get out her pick set. The files were a jumbled mess and it took her some time to pick through them, taking care to leave them as she found them. Manifests of arms shipments were interspersed with uniform orders, ration supplies, and other mundane requisitions for the minutia that were needed to keep a camp of this size supplied.

Syd relocked the drawers with a frustrated hum. That had been no real help at all. Of course, she wasn't sure what she'd been expecting. Leaning on the desk, she cast about for anything that would give her a clue how Reynold's death, Kyeh and the smuggling ring fit together.

Her gaze landed on the desk calendar. She flipped back a few months and then began to leaf through day by day. Every three to four weeks she noticed there was a day with a red asterisk on it. On a hunch, she went back further, to a few months before Reynolds' disappearance, looking for the same pattern – though similar the asterisks were more like two to three months apart. The change in schedule appeared to happen around the time she was last here – just after when Reynolds was likely killed.

Leafing forward past the current date, Sydney looked for the next asterisk. It was in ten days.

Ten days… until what?

 _TaCA_

"No."

Lew's face was set in an uncompromising frown. Sydney stared at him in mute fury. They were arguing again, and she was having no luck changing his mind about remaining in Dien Bien Phu.

"I'm telling you, Lew, something big is going down. Leaving now would be a mistake. Just leave me and head back to Nha Trang to resupply. I'll be fine while you're gone."

"You'll be fine?" Lew's tone was disparaging. "Like you were last time we were here?"

Grinding her teeth, Sydney counted silently to ten before responding, and still ended up lashing out in anger. "It's not like you did anything to stop it."

Lewis's eyes tightened at that, and Sydney was shocked out of her anger. He was apparently bothered by his inability to protect her during their last trip to Dien Bien Phu. She decided it was time to mend the fence.

"You can't protect me all the time, Lew. Not under these circumstances. I can take care of myself well enough, and Quynh and her family are here if I need help. You should go back to Nha Trang, resupply, and come back in a week or two. By then I should have more intel for you."

Lewis tugged at the beard growth of the last month that sprung in unruly curls from his jaw line. He wasn't done arguing, that much was clear.

"The brass will have my hide if anything happens to you up here, Sydney. It's too risky for you to stay without support."

A distant shuffling sound reached her ears, but she chose to ignore it. With a frustrated grunt, she reiterated her argument. "I am not without support – Quynh and her family are here and they will back me up."

"It's a mistake to trust a group of North Vietnamese – no matter how sympathetic they seem to our cause, Sydney."

With a stubborn shake of her head, Sydney snapped, "I'm not going."

"You _will_ come back to Nha Trang with me. That's an order."

In a blind flash of recklessness, Sydney straightened to her full five-foot-three-inch height and challenged, "I guess you'll have to make me."

"Don't push me, Sydney," Lewis growled, leonine eyes flashing with rage.

Steeling herself, she responded calmly, "I'll see you in a couple weeks, Lew."

She didn't give him a chance to respond, turning and crashing out of the thicket they'd been meeting in and running straight toward the VC patrol she had heard coming.

Lewis had no choice but to let her go.

 _TaCA_

"Your team is the only one I'd considered for this, Hannibal," Morrison said. "The intel Cartwright supplied on this mobile camp is sketchy, but I have faith that you and your men can find it and rescue those POWs."

Though he felt dread's icy fingers slip up the back of his neck, Hannibal nodded his acceptance. It was the perfect mission for his small, agile Team and where POWs were concerned, it felt like an obligation.

Those men deserved a shot at freedom.

 _TaCA_


	7. Chapter 6 Kyeh and the American

Disclaimer: No ownership of the A-Team implied or claimed.

Many thank to those who have reviewed!

 **Chapter 6 Kyeh and the American**

Using the cover of crashing thunder, Sydney shifted, quickly stretching cramped muscles before settling down again to continue her watch as the rumbles faded into the distance.

Syd had managed to touch base with Quynh daily at the camp, but she hadn't dared go back to her home since her encounter with Lewis. Ten days on the move when she wasn't working was taking its toll, but she was unwilling to chance Lewis catching up to her and physically forcing her back to Nha Trang. She had absolutely no doubt that he was capable.

Finally, the day of the red asterisk had come, and she had been following General Kyeh all day in hopes of figuring out what that prominent mark on his calendar represented. The majority of her time so far had been a total waste and now it looked like the general was bedding down for the night. She debated whether she should throw in the towel before she was totally drenched by the intermittent rain. She shrugged, the native dress heavy and already sodden on her shoulders. It was too late any way.

An hour later, Syd startled from a semi-vigilant doze when the door to Kyeh's hooch creaked open. The general slipped out, dressed entirely in camo and looking like he was prepared for a recon mission. He glanced around quickly and then slipped around the side of his quarters and out of sight.

Shoving to her feet, Sydney had to take a few seconds to get her stiff limbs working again. The pins and needles were excruciating as she rushed forward to make sure she didn't lose Kyeh. She flattened herself against the front wall of his hooch and listened. Already the sounds of his movement were fading. Peeking around the corner, she confirmed that he was not looking back and then followed.

This was going to be a tricky tail. Into the forest at the edge of camp, she stopped long enough to shed her sodden skirt and the heavy over-shirt, leaving her in her light black under shirt and leggings. The shoes she had on were hardly appropriate for a hike through the woods, but there was little she could do about that now. She wadded her clothing up and tucked it into the hollow of a tree, hoping to retrieve it later.

It was already getting difficult to hear the general's retreat. Sydney took off at a trot in the direction she thought she heard him traveling, grateful for the half moon that had finally come out with the end of the storm. She just hoped the distant rumbles would not bring more clouds to blot out the light.

A few minutes later she caught a glimpse of a light bobbing up ahead, and slowed her movement. Now well into the forest, Kyeh had apparently decided it was safe to take out his flashlight to travel by. In relief, Sydney took up a position approximately one hundred yards behind the general, matching his pace and keeping to the dense shadows. He was moving at a moderate rate and she had no trouble keeping up with him.

Nearly an hour later the general's light disappeared and Sydney nearly panicked. Slowing, she moved in the direction where she had last seen it before it was doused, being careful to remain as quiet as humanly possible. It was not until she was within twenty feet of the shack that she realized he must have gone inside. Boards covered the windows, not allowing even a sliver of light out of the structure.

Creeping to the side of the shack, she listened intently, but all she could hear was the squeak of floor boards as someone moved about inside. Was Kyeh alone in there? She had no way of knowing.

She was just about to risk a move to the front of the shack to see if she could find a crack through which to check out the interior, when she heard the approach of someone. The noise seemed to be coming from the opposite direction from which she and Kyeh had come. She shrank back against the wall, praying she was well enough hidden as the footsteps proceeded up to the door. A quiet creak and soft click told her the new arrival had entered. A man's voice, deep with the quiet ring of authority spoke first. No greeting or banalities, he got straight to business.

"What were you able to arrange?"

The voice was American and the words were spoken in English. Syd pressed closer to the wall.

"If Mor –"

"No names!" Came the sharp retort. "There are ears everywhere."

Kyeh grunted acknowledgement, continuing slowly, "If green leader was successful in flushing the prey, then chuck wagon and his men are ready to spring the trap. The POWs are the perfect bait for your loyal Americans."

Sydney was now all ears. Kyeh had been cut off before saying Morrison's name, but she guessed that was who 'green leader' was. She had no idea who 'chuck wagon' was, but wondered if the 'loyal Americans' might be Smith's A-team? She shook herself. She was leaping to conclusions based on her own biases and connections. In fact, there was no certainty that Kyeh had been about to say 'Morrison' when he was cut off. She needed to listen impartially and stop making assumptions.

"Green leader has done his part – the loyal Americans are already on the hunt. Your job is to ensure that chuck wagon and his men let them get away with the POWs. The extra burden will provide chuck wagon with the advantage he needs to capture them."

Mr. Authority, again. His voice sounded familiar but she couldn't quite place it. She ground her teeth in frustration, wishing she could see inside. She was sure the addition of the visual would help prod her uncooperative memory.

"Six men are no match for an entire VC regimen that is expecting them. This will work."

Kyeh sounded confident, almost cocky.

Mr. Authority must have thought so too. "It is essential to the plan that the loyal Americans think they have gotten away with the POWs. They will not leave a man behind and it will be that weakness that makes it possible to capture the entire team. Underestimating them is a grave error. Need I remind you of the weapons depot fiasco?"

"I understand," Kyeh said meekly.

"Good. Now onto our next priority – once the US pull-out is complete we need to make sure that our supply chain remains intact. What have you been able to arrange to ensure the integrity of this end of the network?"

"We… want assurance that you will not abandon us here after the war is over." Kyeh sounded nervous.

"You aren't in a position to ask for anything. I thought you understood what was expected after Reynolds."

There was a lengthy silence. Kyeh cleared his throat. "I am not certain what you wish for me and my comrade to do."

"I wish for you to do your fucking job and stop trying to take advantage of me. Your cut is more than generous."

"That was an – ah, mistake."

Scuffling inside indicated that something physical was happening. Mr. Authority sounded furious when he finally spoke.

"It was the biggest fucking mistake of your life. You're lucky I don't slit your throat right now."

Kyeh's voice came out strangled. "You need me and my comrade for this to work. We have accepted the offer. I am only looking for assurance that you will keep up your part of the bargain – safe passage to the US once this is over."

More scuffling, then Mr. Authority snorted and said, "Don't you trust me?"

"Trust is a fragile thing in our line of business," Kyeh said.

"And you have some rebuilding to do on your part, so don't fuck with me," Mr. Authority snapped. "Now, is everything set?"

"Once we have the loyal Americans in hand, your exit strategy should be ready. Then it will just be a matter of setting the schedule."

"That time is fast approaching. You had better get them this time. After the last debacle, I decided I needed to come here personally and make sure you understood the importance of making this happen. _Don't_ fuck it up."

There was a pregnant pause before Kyeh responded, "I understand."

"You better fucking understand."

A moment later, Mr. Authority slammed out the front door, melting into the forest. Sydney made to follow but was stopped by Kyeh's appearance on the porch of the shed, rubbing his neck and looking after Mr. Authority. Kyeh's face was tight with a mixture of anxiety and anger.

Sydney knew if she didn't move she'd lose Mr. Authority. Creeping silently around the rear of the shed, she slipped into the woods and took the long way. It was slow going, because she didn't want to tip Kyeh off to her presence. She looped back in the direction of the front of the cabin but away from the camp rather than toward, hoping to intersect Mr. Authority's path – she just hoped she selected the right direction.

Careful to remain concealed, she would stop and listen periodically. Behind her, she thought she could detect the sound of Kyeh heading back to the camp. But if she listened carefully, she also heard the soft sound of retreat in the opposite direction. Adjusting course, she made toward the noise, hoping she was following Mr. Authority and not some animal.

Ten minutes later she heard the distinct sound of a helicopter approaching. Up ahead she could see that the forest thinned and gave way to a clearing. With the noise of the chopper to cover her movement, she took a chance and broke into a jog, hoping to catch a glimpse of Mr. Authority before he disappeared into the sky.

In her rush, she tripped over a tree root, landing flat on her stomach and knocking the wind out of her. By the time she was pushing to her feet the chopper had already landed in the clearing and she could see the shadowy form of Mr. Authority climbing aboard.

Even hunched over she could tell that he was about somewhere just shy of six foot in height with a solid build and a rigid flat-top hair cut. This she catalogued before he disappeared into the shadow of the chopper hold. Unfortunately, she was unable to see anything more than his profile and even that was in shadow.

Then the bird was lifting off and moving out of sight. She ran forward, peering after the helicopter hoping to make out some identifying mark. But the only thing she could see was the faded 'ARMY' on the side. It was an American bird. Sydney sank back against a tree and wiped the sweat from her face in frustration.

There were hundreds of choppers identical to that one. And a huge number of US personnel would fit the vague shadow of Mr. Authority. In short, she had squat when it came to identifying the man behind the voice.

She sat there a long time trying to decide what to do next. Worry twisted her gut into knots. Despite the awareness that this might have nothing to do with what was going on in Nha Trang, her instincts were telling her it was all connected. It didn't matter any way, because one thing was absolutely certain. The 'loyal Americans,' whoever they were, were in grave and immediate danger.

And if the loyal Americans _were_ Smith's A-Team, that meant that this had just become very personal.

She had to get back to Nha Trang.

 _TaCA_


	8. Chapter 7 Stormy Reunion

Disclaimer: I do not own the A-Team.

Enjoy!

 **Chapter 7 Stormy Reunion**

"Please, sister, I think it is best if you stay away. He seems like a very dangerous man and he is very angry."

Sydney patted Quynh's hand where it gripped her arm. "I know Lewis is dangerous, but he is my partner. He will not hurt me. I'm just sorry he has been camped out in your home for the last two days. I didn't expect that."

"Mama has not given him much peace since he arrived." Quynh gave a nervous little giggle.

"Hopefully she is not furious with me," Sydney said.

As they approached the house, Quynh held back, but Syd plowed forward with a purpose. It was time to get this confrontation over.

Then they needed to get back to Nha Trang.

Inside Lewis met her in the middle of the open space, arms crossed and amber eyes blazing with fury. Syd gave him a calm smile.

"I'm ready to go back, now," she said. "I'm kind of glad you waited."

"Where have you been?" he growled.

She snapped, "Doing my job."

He grabbed her arms before she could move, but a moment later let go in surprise when Quynh Vu smacked him over the head with a cooking pot. The blow was not enough to knock Lew out, but it did seem to daze him.

In a voice firm with the authority of age, she said, "If you touch Thanh again, next time it will hurt."

Sydney had to cover her mouth with her hand to keep from laughing out loud. She spoke softly to Quynh Vu in their native language, thanking her for the protection but assuring her that Lew did not intend to hurt her.

Looking back at Lew, she raised an eyebrow and said, "I told her you wouldn't hurt me. You won't make a liar out of me, will you Lewis?"

He rubbed the back of his head, grimacing. "Don't be ridiculous. I was concerned for your safety, Sydney."

"As you can see, I'm fine. And we need to get back."

"What happened?"

Sydney considered her partner. Though she relied on Lew while they were in the field, she was hesitant to take him into her confidence regarding the smuggling ring investigation. She was worried that she had already put the Team at risk by involving them. That, and she wasn't certain that Lewis was uninvolved. After all, he had worked closely with both Morrison and Cartwright for some time. There was a chance they were all in it together. She was going to have to be careful how she played this.

"I overheard Kyeh telling a subordinate to get a message to a General Chow about using POWs as bait for an ambush somewhere near the DMZ. We need to get the word out to any units operating in the area."

"You overheard this where?"

Sydney told the truth, and was glad she had decided to dog Kyeh's footsteps for another day before finding Lewis.

"He went to the communications tent and gave the order. A runner was dispatched with the message right away, so it must have been urgent."

"I'll get transport arranged. Meet me at our rendezvous in six hours."

He disappeared before Sydney could even acknowledge the order. Turning to Quynh and her mother, she spoke again in the local dialect, "I am sorry my partner imposed on your hospitality. We will both be leaving soon."

Quynh Vu patted Sydney's face, her own set in a beatific smile. "Thanh, you are always welcome in my home. That man, though, is not. I let him stay out of respect for you. But if he ever steps out of line again, next time he will not get up."

With a chuckle, Sydney promised to let Lewis know his status as persona non grata.

She had little doubt that the tiny Vietnamese lady would make good on her threat.

 _TaCA_

Lewis grabbed Sydney's arm as she made to exit the chopper that had carried them from Da Nang to Nha Trang. He allowed his fingers to bite gently into her flesh, but not so hard that it would leave marks.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"To my quarters to change," she responded.

"We have a debriefing with General Morrison, first. Then you and I are going to come to an understanding about what happened in Dien Bien Phu."

He couldn't totally ignore the flush of desire that the defiance burning in her blue eyes ignited, but he was careful to conceal any outward sign of it. While he looked forward to a day when he could challenge the spirit he recognized in Sydney, he was well aware that that day was still some distance off. He was endlessly patient, though, and was resolved that one day he would have her all to himself.

Sydney licked her lips before responding. "Fine. Lead the way."

She fell into step beside him, and he nodded his approval. They were nearly there when she asked, "Did you relay the information about Chow using the POWs as bait? I don't want anyone falling into that trap."

"The message was relayed. But Sydney, you know that if a unit runs across POWs they are unlikely to heed any kind of general warning. I suspect the information will fall on deaf ears in the field."

"But at least they'll be on guard," Sydney said.

The next two hours passed quickly, but not quickly enough for Sydney. She was anxious to find the Team and make sure that they were out of harm's way.

Lewis's lecture following the debriefing was anticlimactic and Sydney was finally able to leave HQ. She ran straight to the Team barracks, but found it, as well as Hannibal's hooch, empty. And it looked like they'd been gone for a while.

She stopped long enough at her own hooch to change into fatigues and then headed back to HQ. She looked down at Corporal Curtis, Morrison's new stooge, who was sitting at the desk outside Morrison's office.

"I need to speak with General Morrison," she said brusquely.

Curtis stood and glowered at her. "You just spoke to him an hour ago. The general is busy. What do you need now?"

Morrison chose that moment to step out of his office. "Curtis, I need this cable to go out immediately. Please take it to the communications tent personally and make sure it's done."

"Yes, sir." Curtis took the folded sheet, then indicated Sydney. "SA Wilson has requested to see you, sir."

As Curtis left, Morrison turned to Sydney. "What do you need, Wilson?"

"I stopped to see Colonel Smith, sir, but he wasn't in. Do you know where he is?"

"Of course I do. Smith and his team are on mission."

"Where, sir?"

"That is none of your business. Is that all?"

"I beg your pardon, _sir_ , but I believe it is my business. I am attached to Colonel Smith's team, and felt it only proper that I debrief with him as well as you."

"Are you going to follow him into the field to do that, Wilson?"

Sydney ground her teeth, answering tightly, "No, sir."

"Colonel Smith and his men will return when their mission is complete. Until then, your debriefing will have to wait."

With a deep breath, Sydney curbed her anger. Her voice came out flat. "Was the warning regarding POWs relayed to Colonel Smith?"

"I gave the order myself for it to be relayed to all units operating just north of the DMZ," Morrison said, holding her gaze with unblinking eyes. "Are we done, Special Agent?"

Sydney didn't allow her own gaze to waiver. "I suppose we are."

When the general looked away, his gaze fell down and to the left as he turned and disappeared into his office. Sydney was left fuming, with a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach.

Was he lying? She wasn't sure.

But she was worried.

 _TaCA_


	9. Chapter 8 Hell Breaks Loose

Disclaimer: I do not own the A-Team.

Happy reading!

 **Chapter 8 Hell Breaks Loose**

Murdock sat propped against Face, both of them trying to get some rest while they could. The rain hadn't let up since they left on this mission – nearly three weeks of trudging through the jungle in wet gear, unable to make a fire to dry out, or prepare their food properly. And it seemed they were no closer to tracking down the mobile POW camp that they'd been pursuing the entire time.

Their rendezvous with the 196th four days ago and getting to take advantage of their hospitality had been a much-needed relief. They had all benefitted from getting to eat something other than cold C-rations. The 196th's chuck wagon had put on quite the feast for the entire unit and gladly made enough to share with the small spec-op group that joined them in their temporary base camp. Then they had all gotten to spend a blessed six hours in a dry tent sleeping. The break had been a definite boon to BA's worsening attitude, as well as everyone else's.

Now they were back to cold food and constant wet. It seemed like they would never catch up with their target.

"Hey, Murdock, you still awake?"

Face's voice shook him out of his thoughts. "Yeah. I'm afraid if I fall asleep I'll tip my head back and drown in this fuckin' rain."

"No shit," Face said with a snort. "I wish like hell I was still back on that beach in Hawaii."

"Hell, man, I'd take the beach in Nha Trang."

"Probably raining there, too."

Murdock shrugged. "Least ways there we'd have a fifth."

Shifting to get comfortable, Face muttered, "If I'm gonna fantasize, I wanna be in Hawaii."

Hawaii. At times like this it felt like those ten days in Hawaii had happened to someone else. The days spent playing on the beach, evenings spent around the bonfire, nights spent with Syd. Murdock sighed.

"Think Syd's back yet?" Face asked.

It was uncanny how Face's thoughts tended to run in the same ruts as Murdock's. The pilot sighed again.

"I sure as hell hope so. She and Lew have been gone since the day after we got back. This is our second mission since she left. Feels like that was fuckin' months ago."

Face grunted. "It was only a little over a month ago… long enough, though."

"Too fuckin' long…" Murdock murmured.

"Yeah, I know."

"I'm worried 'bout her."

"Me too."

They lapsed into silence. Murdock's mind was now totally pre-occupied with thoughts of Sydney. To avoid descending into the black hole of agonizing worry, Murdock focused on remembering the time he'd spent with her.

"Wish we could grab a fifth and spend the evening on the beach with Syd," Face said pensively.

"I was jus' thinkin' the same thing," Murdock said. Well, maybe not exactly the same thing, but it was close enough.

"She'll just have to make do with Jak 'til we get back, eh, bud?" Face snickered. "I still don't know what she sees in that hayseed."

Murdock gave a disinterested hum. Times like this caused the guilt over keeping his best friend in the dark about Syd and him surge. Though he understood the logic behind it, it didn't make it feel any less like a betrayal. He didn't have long to wallow in his self-blame because a few seconds later, Hannibal was nudging them up.

"Alright, let's get movin' guys."

Face pushed to his feet and whined, "This is starting to feel like a fuckin' LRRP, Hannibal. When the hell are we gonna reach our target?"

"We're close, Lieutenant." Hannibal gave them that manic grin that meant he was on the jazz. "Ray and BA just came back from recon. Our target is just over that ridge, and it looks like they're settling in for the night."

Murdock felt a jolt of adrenalin zing along his nerves. It was at least partially a reaction to the knowledge that they would soon be facing the enemy. The colonel's jazz was definitely addictive.

But he was also excited knowing that this meant soon they'd be headed back to base. He couldn't wait to see Syd… assuming she was back. God, he hoped she was back in Nha Trang… where it was relatively safe.

Murdock shook his head to clear it.

 _Focus on the job, asshole._

 _TaCA_

The retrieval had gone smoothly. It had taken them less than ten minutes to neutralize the skeleton VC patrol that was left guarding the six American prisoners of war. Based on recon that was all they had expected.

Two of the POWs were barely alive, and the Team was forced to put them on litters to transport to the LZ. The other four were ambulatory, and the taste of freedom gave them all a surge of energy, though it was still rough going. Hannibal gave them arms and they began the trek to the nearest clear LZ while BA vectored Jak in for the pickup. They were within sight of the rendezvous when the ambush happened.

Finding cover behind a copse of tightly growing trees, they managed to hold off the attacking VC. The problem was that they were between the Team and POWs, and the transport they desperately needed.

"We could make a run for this LZ," Face shouted at Hannibal over the noise of the fire fight, pointing out an alternate landing area behind them.

"That's at least two klicks away and we'd have to do it on the run. There's no way we're going to make it with two non-ambulatory wounded," Hannibal said. "BA! Can you get Jak on the horn?"

A moment later BA shoved the radio at Hannibal who took it and spoke into the mic, "Jak, we need some cover fire – give us five minutes then lay it down. Face, Murdock - flank the VC and force them back with help from Jak. When we see our chance we'll make a run for the chopper. BA, Gravy – cover 'em."

Five minutes later, just as planned, gunfire and grenades started pressing the VC back into the forest and away from the clearing. Hannibal could hear Face and Murdock, joined by Aaron, Jak's door gunner, exchanging shouted guidance as they forced the VC to move away, creating a corridor for Hannibal, BA, Ray and Gravy to get the POWs to the waiting chopper.

They were almost home free when another patrol arrived. Now flanked themselves, they were taking fire from the new arrivals, as well as the newly advancing ambush patrol. Hannibal called his men in just as a grenade landed near enough to spray him, BA and the POW on the litter between them with shrapnel.

Murdock, Face and Aaron came on the run. Murdock got BA and physically hoisted the big man up from the ground, helping him to the chopper. Aaron picked up the POW and carried him while Face helped Hannibal.

Another grenade landed close to the front of the chopper, shattering the front windshield and spraying all of them with more shrapnel, though they were shielded from the worst of it by the chopper itself.

Ray and Gravy were already inside with the other POWs. The copilot was hit, but still mostly with it, though he was losing a lot of blood. With Gravy's help, Ray was extracting Jak from the mess that had been the pilot's seat. He was unconscious, though the chicken plate and helmet had save him from taking any severe body shots, his helmet had been shattered by the grenade blast that had hit the windshield.

"Murdock! Get on the stick!" Ray shouted as he and Gravy got Jak clear.

Sliding into the pilot's seat, Murdock turned to the copilot. "Mind if I take over?"

A mute shake of the head and the guy passed out. Like Jak, he'd been badly injured when the windshield blew, but his helmet was still intact.

"Captain, get us the hell outta here!" Hannibal bellowed.

Murdock obliged.

 _TaCA_


	10. Chapter 9 Coming in Hot

Disclaimer: Still don't own them…

:)

 **Chapter 9 Coming in Hot**

Sydney had just gotten back to her hooch after meeting with Lewis about their next foray north. It had been less then a week since their return, so she had mixed feeling about leaving – especially since the Team had not yet returned from their mission.

Over the last few days she had been making a general nuisance of herself on base, trying to learn where the Team was. Morrison was outright avoiding her now, leaving her to hassle his assistant… and anyone else who would listen. The only solid fact she had learned, after grilling Martin Vin for an hour, was that the team was working off intelligence that Cartwright had gathered.

That alone terrified her.

"SA Wilson…"

Whirling, Syd found herself looking at Corporal Curtis, Morrison's assistant, through the screen door on her hooch. He hesitated.

"What do you want, Corporal?"

"General Morrison told me to inform you…"

"Inform me!?" Sydney interrupted angrily. She let all of the frustration of the last few days fuel her next words, striding toward the door and slamming it open. "After dodging all of my questions and avoiding me like the plague for the last two days, General Morrison told you to _inform_ me of something? Really?"

Curtis had stepped back and regarded Sydney warily. "He did, ma'am."

Crossing her arms, Syd leveled the uncomfortable man with a no-nonsense look. "Spit it out, Corporal."

"The general wanted me to tell you…" he took a deep breath before finishing, "well, ma'am, he thought you'd want to know that Smith's team is coming in crippled, ma'am."

"What?" Sydney moved closer to Curtis, staring at him in shock. "Who's injured?"

Curtis ground his teeth before finally answering. "It sounded like every man in the unit sustained some form of injury, some worse than others."

"Who was flying? What's their ETA?"

"I imagine the pilots were flying and when I left the com they were about five minutes out."

"Was Captain Murdock on the com, dammit?" Sydney asked impatiently.

"I'm sure I don't know, ma'am."

Syd spun away from the corporal, muttering, "Useless."

Curtis's voice followed her as she headed toward medical. "Triage was headed to the heliport to transport the injured, ma'am. General Morrison said you'd want to be there."

"And he would be correct," she muttered, breaking into a run.

If ETA was five minutes when Curtis left the com then the Team was probably already being bundled back to the med center for treatment. As she approached she saw Colonel Smith, on a gurney, raising holy hell with the triage team attending him.

"I said I'm alright. Let me off this goddam stretcher so I can check on my men."

"Your men are in good hands, Colonel. You, however, have lost a lot of blood. Please calm down."

"Don't fucking tell me to calm down!" Hannibal caught sight of Sydney as she followed them through the open gang doors into the triage area. "Wilson!"

Moving next to the gurney, Syd looked down at Hannibal and tried desperately to disguise the panic that was threatening to overwhelm her.

"Yes, Colonel?"

As she moved close she saw the ragged mess of his left leg and cringed. Hannibal grabbed her arm, his voice low and intense.

"I want you to find out about the rest of my team, Wilson. What a cluster fuck of a mission. Make sure they're all alright. These assholes won't let me do it myself."

Sydney put a calming hand on Hannibal's shoulder. "I'll find out, Colonel, don't worry. Just calm down and let these good people help you."

Hannibal sank back, eyes glazing over as whatever sedative they had finally managed to get into him began to take effect. "Thanks, Syd…"

"Thank you." A doctor murmured as Hannibal's eyes drifted shut. "Now we need to get him prepped for surgery."

"Where are the others?" Syd asked.

A kind nurse whose nametag said 'Alice' put a hand on Syd's shoulder. "They've already been dispersed to treatment. I know there were three, including the colonel, here, to be prepped for surgery."

"Christ," Sydney breathed as her heart jumped up into her throat. "What the fuck happened?"

The attending doctor snapped, "How the hell should we know? We're just here to pick up the pieces when it's over. Now if you'll excuse us, we really need to get this man into surgery."

Sydney stepped out of the way as they pushed Hannibal past a wall of curtains. Alice put a solicitous hand on her shoulder, "They brought in six POWs with them – they saved six men."

Gaping at the nurse, Syd asked, "Did you say POWs? They rescued a group of POWs?"

"Yes, they rescued six POWs."

Syd's mind was reeling. It was looking more and more like the 'loyal Americans' _were_ Hannibal's Team. In a fog, Sydney moved toward the curtains Hannibal had just disappeared behind, Alice stopped her.

"I'm sorry, hon, but you can't go in there."

Snapping out of her stupor, Syd turned to Alice, "Please, I have to find the rest of the Team –"

A rising voice behind a curtain off to the side interrupted Syd. She immediately recognized it as HM's and ran toward it, ignoring Alice who was still talking to her.

"I said to get that fuckin' shit away from me!" HM bellowed.

The relief that flooded through her upon seeing him awake and coherent nearly floored Syd. Leia was standing there, eyes wide, a syringe in her hand. HM had taken some shrapnel in his left side, the injury similar to Hannibal's leg, but with far less penetration.

Leia spoke softly, "HM, I just want to give you some morphine so I can clean you up."

"No! No morphine!" He was shaking his head adamantly.

A very young-looking man that Syd assumed was the doctor stood cowering in the corner and Leia looked at him helplessly. Sydney moved purposely to HM's uninjured side.

"Sydney?" Leia said in surprise.

HM lifted his head and a huge sigh escaped. "Syd, sugar, man are you a sight for sore eyes. Tell them. Please tell them…"

His head dropped back to the examining table as Syd stopped next to him. His handsome face was obscured by blood, dirt and sweat but under the grime Syd could see how ashen his complexion was. Slipping her hand into his, she leaned down and spoke to him in a soothing tone.

"HM, it's just a little morphine to make you comfortable during the treatment."

"No. I can…" he slammed his bloody fist on the exam table and winced. "I can handle it. No morphine. It's addictive. I don't want it. Please, sugar, tell them I don't want it."

"Sh, it's ok. I'll tell them." Syd whispered.

Turning her head she looked at Leia and the doctor, who were both venturing forward now that the pilot had calmed down.

"I don' want it," HM murmured, again.

"Can you do this," she motioned to his bloodied side, "without dosing him with morphine?"

Leia was staring at Sydney as if she were insane. "There is shrapnel all through this wound. We need to dig it all out or he risks infection. It's a very painful process. He needs the morphine."

"I don't want it!" HM's voice rose and Leia and the doctor took a reflexive step back. Sydney sighed.

"HM, you're frightening the medical staff."

"Don' care."

Giving Leia and the doctor a pleading look, Syd said, "Listen, isn't there a local option that you could use?"

The doctor stepped forward, glancing at HM warily before focusing on Sydney. "There are some locals that will help, but they aren't going to totally deaden the area. I'm willing to give it a try but I will need the patient's complete cooperation and a promise that I won't get hit, again."

That was when Syd noticed that one of the doctor's cheeks was turning red. The man fingered the area tenderly and shrugged.

"He just clipped me. I'm pretty fast."

"HM!" Syd looked down at the pilot, who had a wan grimace on his face.

"Sorry, doc," he said sheepishly, then looked at Syd, eyes wide and innocent. "They were pissing me off. You know my impulse control sucks, sugar."

"Well, I think you do need to promise to behave," she responded.

"I promise I'll behave," HM said, turning to look at Leia and the doctor. "Now give me the fuckin' local. My arm hurts like hell."

"HM!" Syd said sharply.

He frowned and then offered a grudging, "Please."

Bending his uninjured arm, he raised their joined hands and pulled Syd closer. "You'll stick around and help me behave, wontcha sugar?"

She looked into his brown eyes, tight with emotion. She recognized pain and what she thought might be lingering fear. She stretched out a finger to run it over his muddy cheek.

"Wild horses couldn't drag me away."

His face relaxed marginally and he smiled at her. "You smell so damn good."

"You're impossible, you know that?" Syd whispered, suppressing a responding smile and shaking her head slightly.

His grip tightened, and Syd looked up to find Leia administering the local. She seemed to be studiously avoiding meeting her eyes. With a sigh, Sydney realized that the whole charade they'd hoped to keep alive after Hawaii was about to crumble around them.

It was a few minutes before Leia was done. She set the syringe aside and looked at HM, her gaze inscrutable.

"Your arm should start feeling numb in just a couple minutes. Let me know when you think the pain is manageable and we'll get started. This is going to take quite a bit of time. We'll probably have to re-dose a time or two, anyway."

He looked at Leia, lips pressed into a rueful line. "Thank you, Leia. Listen, darlin', I'm sorry if I scared ya."

Leia gave him a tight-lipped smile. "It's ok, HM. You are by far _not_ the most difficult patient I've dealt with since I've been here. You just caught me off-guard because you've always seemed so easy-going."

Syd could feel the tension flowing out of the pilot as the anesthetic took effect. She smirked at him.

"Easy-going, except where drugs are involved."

"Except where drugs are involved," he agreed. Refocusing on Sydney, he asked, "Did you see anybody else?"

"They were bringing Hannibal in when I arrived." Syd bit her lip. HM was fairly calm and she didn't want him getting upset again right now.

Shaking his head, he said, "The colonel wouldn't leave the chopper until we were all taken care of… even me and he was way worse off than me."

"That's just Hannibal for you. Like the doc told him, the Team is in good hands. They'll all be fine."

Syd smiled at him confidently. Knowing it was important for him to believe that, she prayed it was true. Hannibal was the only other Team member she had actually seen. She patted his hand. "Now why don't you just try to relax."

The doctor and Leia moved in and out of the treatment area making preparations. Syd stayed at HM's side, as promised, both her hands clasped around his right one. The ping of shrapnel hitting the metal bowl as it was removed from his arm and side punctuated the relative quiet of the room. When HM's grip would become painfully tight, she would mention additional dosing and then lean down and talk soothingly until he started to relax again.

It seemed to take forever but finally they were applying the clean dressing. Leia looked down at HM.

"We'll move you into recovery, now. Dr. Willis wants you monitored for a fever for at least a day or two. We'll be giving you antibiotics to help stave off infection and the doctor said he could prescribe painkillers if you need them. I'll go get a wheel chair."

"Thanks, darlin'," HM said, then looked up at Sydney, eyes pleading. "You gonna stay, sugar?"

"For a while," Sydney said, her eyes following Leia. She patted his hand. "I am going to check on the others, though. I'll see you back in sickbay."

His grip tightened on her hand, and she gently extracted it with a final promise.

"I won't be gone long."

 _TaCA_

"Leia."

Turning at the sound of her name, Leia hesitated. What was she going to say to Sydney?

"Leia, I really appreciate what you did in there."

"I just did my job."

"I was… hoping that you could help me find out about the others. A nurse named Alice told me when I came in that three of them were being prepped for surgery. But I don't know who, and Hannibal was the only other member of the Team I saw before I came into the treatment area with HM. I… I need to know how the others are – HM is going to need to know."

Leia took a deep breath, debating what to say. She finally decided to keep it strictly professional.

"Colonel Smith and Sergeant Baracas, along with one of the rescued POWs took the brunt of the shrapnel – they were being prepped for surgery. Jakowski and his copilot sustained serious injuries as well and are also in surgery. Sergeant Gravois, Lieutenant Brenner and Lieutenant Peck all looked about like Captain Murdock. They took shrapnel hits, but from a distance so the injuries were less severe, if a little more extensive."

"Christ," Sydney breathed, her face blanched. "Does Katie know?"

"She worked night shift last night, so I'm guessing she's still in bed."

"She's going to want to be here," Sydney murmured. "Is there someone who can go get her? No, I should go get her. Can you let HM know I'll be back as soon as I can?"

"S-s-sure," Leia stammered. "Sydney, I'm confused."

Sydney looked up at her, blue-eyed gaze apologetic. "I imagine you are, but I don't have time to explain it. Katie's gonna be a mess, Leia. Are you off duty soon?"

"Actually, I'm off as of half an hour ago." Leia hesitated, then offered, "I could go get Katie and bring her back. But..."

"That would be a huge help," Sydney said. "That way I could go with HM. He's going to be driving the attending nurses absolutely bonkers in short order if you're going to keep him in the infirmary overnight."

"Sydney…" Leia grabbed her arm and pulled her off to the side before continuing, "What am I supposed to tell my best friend about what I witnessed between you and HM in that treatment room?"

With a hesitant shrug, Sydney said, "That's up to you."

"Sydney?" Katie's panicked voice cut through the room, and Leia whirled to see her friend running in like a mad woman.

"I overheard that the Team was back but when I asked where they were I was told each and every one of them had to go to hospital. What happened? Where's Ja - uh…" she glanced at Leia and seemed to make a valiant effort to calm herself before amending, "Where are HM, Jak, and the rest of the Team?"

Sydney's expression was grim. "HM's fine and headed back to sickbay. I imagine Face and Ray will be joining him shortly. But the others are all… still in surgery – including Jak and his copilot."

"How bad is it?" Katie's voice was barely a whisper.

Leia was more and more confused. Kate's face had blanched noticeably when Sydney had mentioned Jak. Unable to offer any solace, Leia provided the only information she could.

"I only saw from a distance in triage but both Jak and his copilot had lost a lot of blood. Apparently one of the grenades hit the chopper windshield and shattered it when it went off. Their gear saved them from fatal injury, but they were pretty cut up in the debris and shrapnel from the blast."

"Oh God," Katie whispered as she sank to the ground right where she stood.

Sydney reacted quickest, reaching Kate and taking her arm to ease her half-fall to the floor. Leia was a step behind, with a straight chair. With Sydney's help, she got Kate into the chair. Alice had returned, carrying a glass of water, which she pressed to Kate's lips, encouraging her to sip it.

Tears spilled freely out of Kate's wide eyes as she looked up at Sydney. "This was supposed to be a simple extraction. Jak told me they'd be back by the time I was up and about. What happened?"

"I don't know," Sydney said, her voice deadly quiet. "But I intend to find out."

Leia looked from Sydney to Kate, trying to make sense of their reactions to what had happened, but only one thing was clear.

She and Katie were going to have to have a long talk.

 _TaCA_


	11. Chapter 10 The Lee Zemekis Letters

Disclaimer: I don't own the A-Team.

Many thanks for the reviews – they help keep me motivated to actually write once in a while. Happy reading!

 **Chapter 10 The Lee Zemekis Letters**

"Enter!"

Sydney looked up from the letter she was drafting to Quinn as Leia entered her hooch.

"Katie asked me to stop by and let you know that Jak is awake," Leia said. "That makes all of them – finally."

Shoving the unfinished letter into her drawer and locking it, Sydney jumped up with an explosive, "Thank God! Does HM know?"

Leia gave Sydney a smirk as she joined the nurse outside. "He snuck back into sickbay only an hour or two after you and Kate dragged him out."

"He promised me he'd get some sleep," Syd said as they started walking toward medical side by side. "He can be so fucking stubborn sometimes."

"Kate already yelled at him. Honestly, most of the time she sounds more like his mother than his girlfriend," Leia said, with a sly sideways glance.

"HM requires a firm hand." Sydney rubbed the back of her neck and cast a tight smile at Leia. Kate had told her she had talked to Leia, so Syd suspected the nurse knew what was going on. It would have been difficult to hide from Leia in the aftermath of the Team's return from their last mission. During HM's treatment, she knew her feelings for him had been on display. Add to that the fact that Kate had barely left Jak's side since he'd gotten out of surgery, and the truth would have been difficult to hide from Kate's friend.

However, for the most part, appearances had been maintained. HM had not been willing to leave his Teammates' sides for the last few days, either. So while Kate had been with Jak, HM had been with the Team and so they had been together – at least ostensibly.

Syd had been the one forced to remain apart. Lewis or Cartwright had dogged her footsteps every second of every day since the Team's return. They were particularly intrusive when she spent any amount of time at sickbay. The infringement was no surprise, but it was a pain in the ass to deal with. As she and Leia rounded the corner to head to the med tent, she caught a glimpse of Cartwright out of the corner of her eye. There was no avoiding her babysitters. One of them was always there – always watching.

"I don't know how you handle it," Leia said in an aside, having apparently noticed their tail. "I would scream if I had a couple of spooks following me everywhere."

"You get used to it," Syd murmured, holding the door open for Leia. "Go on in. I'll be there in a minute."

Glancing back, Leia asked, "You sure you'll be alright? I can come with you…"

"I'll be fine. This will only take a sec."

With another uneasy glance over her shoulder, Leia disappeared inside. Syd let the door swing shut and crossed her arms, turning to face Cartwright who was now striding toward her.

"What do you want?" Sydney snapped.

Cartwright shrugged. "I hear your lover boy is awake. Wanted to pay my respects."

"Fuck off, Cartwright. Don't try to pretend you give a rat's ass about Jak."

"I don't," the agent said with a condescending smile. "But I do give a rat's ass about you, sweetheart."

"Lucky me," Syd snipped.

"Luckiest fuckin' woman in the world," Cartwright said with a lewd smile. "Ready to go inside and see your Romeo?"

Grinding her teeth, Syd glared at him for several seconds before turning to lead the way inside. There was no avoiding having Cartwright with her, so she was going to give up trying.

She spoke briefly with the nurse on duty before heading into sickbay proper. The first person her gaze sought was HM, who gave her a wink as he raised a hand in greeting.

"Over here, Syd. He's awake!"

The smile on HM's handsome face dimmed as Cartwright followed her into the curtained-off recuperation room. She gave him a rueful grimace but didn't slow her pace until she was at Jak's bedside – safely on the opposite side from HM.

Kneeling, she looked into Jak's heavily-lidded eyes. "How're ya doin', Jakowski?"

"Better now'at yer here, swee'heart," he murmured, his lips turning up at the corners.

"It's good to have you back, hon," she murmured, stroking his cheek with her finger. "Sorry I wasn't here."

"S'alright. I heard wha's been goin' on." Jak looked past her. "Hey Cartwright. What did ya bring me?"

"Bring you?" Cartwright asked, obviously caught off guard.

"Hell, yeah. Dontcha know it's only polite to bring the wounded a gift when ya come to visit? Syd's presence is all the gift I need from her," Jack made a show of lifting Sydney's hand to his lips. "But you, well, you I'd rather not see at all."

A flick of Hannibal's wrist from where he sat on the adjacent bed, and Ray and Face stepped forward and formed a wall in front of Cartwright.

Hannibal growled, "You heard the man, Cartwright. Get lost."

Ray jutted a chin toward the door. "Do we need to show you the way out?"

After several seconds of tense silence, Cartwright backed down.

"I'll be waiting for you outside, Sydney."

That had sounded like a threat.

 _TaCA_

Leia came walking back from the curtain that separated sickbay from the nurse's station and main entrance.

"He's gone," she said. "At least for now."

Hannibal peered at Sydney. "They are all over you, kid. What the hell happened?"

Shifting to sit cross-legged on the floor next to Jak's bed, Sydney stared studiously at her and Jak's clasped hands. They had seen precious little of her in the last few days, and while Hannibal knew why, he couldn't quite understand it. Why were Cartwright and Lewis being so hyper-vigilant now?

"Sydney, I asked you a question."

She lifted her head, sharp, blue eyes scanning the room. The sick bay was currently full, though not as full as it had been. Just this morning they had shipped a whole bus load of wounded down to Saigon in preparation for their freedom flight. Jak's co-pilot had been on that bus. Jak would be on one soon.

Licking her lips, Syd turned to look directly at Hannibal. "I'm not sure but I can guess. I… I can't talk about it here, Colonel. In fact, I'm not sure I'm willing to discuss it openly anywhere."

Motioning the others to gather around and afford them some privacy, Hannibal leaned forward and gripped Sydney's chin, forcing her to look at him. "Goddammit, kiddo, what have you gotten yourself into now?"

Lips pursed, wide blue eyes swimming in guilt, Sydney met his gaze with a stubborn determination that Hannibal was coming to know all too well. A moment later, she jerked her chin out of his hand and glared at him.

"It's what I'm afraid I've gotten the Team into that has me worried, Hannibal," she whispered. "Lewis and Cartwright are the least of my problems right now."

Hannibal gave her a knowing smirk and kept his voice low. "You haven't gotten us into anything, kiddo – least ways not anything we didn't walk into with eyes wide open."

Sydney's gaze was searching. After several seconds, she asked, "Did you receive an alert regarding POWs near the DMZ?"

Hannibal frowned. "What kind of alert?"

"Morrison was supposed to put out an alert to all units operating near the DMZ about an ambush baited with POWs. Did you get it?"

Grinding his teeth, Hannibal shook his head. "No. But our mission started further south."

"But we ended up just north of the DMZ, Hannibal," Ray said tightly.

"When did this alert go out?" Hannibal asked.

"Four days before your return," Sydney said.

"Pr'y come out right after we left the 196th," BA said. "We maintained radio silence after that. I 'member we was gettin' close and you was worried we'd tip off the target we was comin'."

"I suppose that explains why we didn't get the alert," Ray said.

"What prompted it, Syd?" Murdock asked.

When she looked up at Murdock their eyes locked for an instant before she quickly looked away. Hannibal knew none of them would like the answer, least of all Murdock.

"I did. I overheard Kyeh dictating a wire to General Chow about a trap for 'Loyal Americans' using POWs as bait." Syd sighed. "I was afraid you might be the Loyal Americans in question."

Murdock crossed his arms, face set in a stony expression. "And what, pray tell, would make you think that?"

"Not now, HM," Sydney said quietly.

"It's a valid question, Sydney," Hannibal said. "There's something you aren't telling us."

She stood abruptly. "Nothing. I've gotta go… finish what I was doing."

Leaning over, she kissed Jak's forehead. As she straightened, she said, "Take care of yourself, fly boy."

Her gaze flickered from Jak to Murdock, before she turned and walked quickly out of sick bay. The group sat in silence for several seconds. Kate was the one to break it, her sweet soprano dropping an octave with obvious irritation.

"She's doing it again."

Hannibal glanced up at his pilot, noting the clenched jaw and worried gaze that was still glued to where Sydney had exited. Hannibal couldn't blame him. Their little spook had a terrible tendency to try to protect them and it looked like she was at it again. That meant that whatever she was hiding, she thought it was too dangerous for them to know. It also meant that she was likely in grave danger herself.

But from whom? Lewis? Hannibal shook his head – that didn't make sense. If Lewis wanted to off Sydney he could have done it a dozen times over in the last several months, no questions asked. Cartwright? Perhaps. There was no love lost between Sydney and Cartwright, that much was apparent. And Cartwright had been the one to deliver the intelligence on which the Team had launched their last mission – that was strike two as far as Hannibal was concerned.

"What are we going to do, Hannibal?" Murdock asked.

"I'm with Murdock," Ray said. "We can't leave her flapping in the breeze with no backup."

"I wi' ya, brothers. Li'l fi need our help," Gravy said gravely.

"Yeah," BA and Face were both nodding agreement.

Hannibal held up his hands. "I get it, guys, but you heard her. It's tough helping someone who doesn't want it."

"Like that's stopped us before," Face said.

"You got a point, Lieutenant." Hannibal turned to Leia. "What was Sydney doing when you went to get her, Leia?"

"She was in her hooch, writing a letter," Leia said. "I thought it was a personal letter, though. It said 'Dear, somebody' at the top… not that I was being nosy!"

"Who would she be writing to?" Hannibal asked, looking up at Murdock.

His pilot's jaw had dropped, eyes wide with disbelief. "The only letters she gets from home are from… a guy named Lee Zemekis," he murmured, then shook his head. "But that can't be who she's writing to. It can't be…"

"Who's Lee Zemekis?" Hannibal asked.

Murdock was still shaking his head, but the disbelief in his gaze was slowly melting into uncertainty.

"He was… her classmate at Quantico," Murdock said in a daze.

Given his pilot's reaction, Hannibal knew there was more to it than that. "And?"

Murdock's next words came out flat. "He wanted to marry her."

"What?" Hannibal was sure he had heard wrong.

"Zemekis asked Syd to marry him before she shipped over," Murdock said hollowly.

"Shit." The muttered expletive had come from his second lieutenant. Ray looked like he was in physical pain. Hannibal smirked, knowing that Ray would take the brunt of the angst between the two kids that was bound to follow from this revelation.

But none of this was making any sense. Hannibal had no personal doubts about Sydney's commitment to Murdock. She loved him as much as he loved her. So why would she be writing to this Zemekis dude that she'd left behind?

"Ray, this one is all you. What do you need?"

Ray rolled his eyes. "Another job."

Hannibal grinned at him. This was what he got for being everyone's confidant.

"No resignations accepted."

"Murdock."

Hannibal nodded in approval.

Looking up at his pilot, he hooked a thumb toward the exit. "You're with Ray."

 _TaCA_

Cartwright accompanied Sydney all the way back to her hooch. At the door, she stopped. "What do you want, Cartwright?"

"Just keeping an eye on you – Lew's orders."

"Well you'll have to keep an eye on me from out here because you sure as hell aren't coming inside."

"Have it your way, sweetheart," Cartwright said with a lewd grin. "I'm sure we could find something to while away the time until Lew takes over."

"In your dreams," Sydney slammed the door in Cartwright's laughing face and locked it. Fat lot of good that little hook would do if Cartwright decided to come in, but it made her feel a little better anyway.

She walked over to the desk, unlocked the drawer, and pulled out the letter. It was the second letter she had drafted to her ghost supervisor, Peter Quinn, in as many weeks. The first, which she had sent a few days after her return from Dien Bien Phu, had detailed what she had learned about Reynolds' death and about Kyeh's and Chow's complicity in the smuggling ring. She had also provided a detailed account of Kyeh's clandestine meeting outside of camp with the unknown American.

It had taken her a full three days to encode the letter to send. This method of communication was a major pain in the ass.

While this particular letter included far less information, it had proved equally as tricky to complete. Between regular work demands, checking in on the Team, and trying to dodge her keepers, it had been nearly impossible to find any privacy at all to do the encoding.

She skimmed what she had so far, trying to remember where she had left off when Leia had arrived.

With a sigh she considered her next phrase and began writing.

 _TaCA_

Murdock gave Ray an incredulous look. "You want me to come with you?"

"Yep. Let's go." Ray headed towards the door.

Leaning over, Murdock kissed the top of Kate's head. "I'll stop back when I'm done."

Katie turned and pulled him down, murmuring in his ear, "Remember Hawaii and _don't obsess_." Then she kissed him on the cheek.

Murdock quirked a grin at her. He was beginning to think she knew him a little too well. "Thanks, swee'pea."

"Move it, Murdock!" Ray said from the curtains.

"What's the big fuckin' hurry?" he muttered as he made his way across the infirmary.

Ray waited for him to pass through then followed. Once they were out into the drizzly heat of another overcast day in Vietnam, Ray nudged him.

"Listen, Murdock, I'm sure there's an explanation for the letter that does not involve Syd two-timing you."

Murdock shoved his hands in his pocket and shrugged. The logical part of his brain was making that same argument to the emotional part – which at this point was spiraling into despair. Syd had told him long ago – even before she'd come clean about her real name – that she wasn't interested in becoming Mrs. Zemekis. Why in the hell would she be writing to him? And why in the double-hell would she being using 'dear' as the greeting?

Something wasn't adding up.

"Did you hear me?" Ray turned and stopped in front of Murdock, putting a hand on his shoulder and peering into his eyes, voice low and intense. "I'm telling you that Sydney loves you, not this Zemekis guy. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind and there sure as hell shouldn't be any in yours. Don't fuck up what you found in Hawaii, Murdock."

"I know," Murdock said quietly. "I do. But why is she writing to him, Ray? I can't figure it out."

Ray grinned, patted his shoulder and then started walking again. "That's why we're gonna tag team her. You take her for a walk –"

"Are you insane?" Murdock shook his head. "With Cartwright and Lewis bird-doggin' her? They're gonna get suspicious."

"Think about it," Ray said, dark eyes sparking with the jazz. "If you take Syd for a walk, Cartwright and Lewis will definitely follow. Which will leave me free to break into Syd's hooch and peruse those letters."

"And what am I supposed to talk to Syd about on this walk?" Murdock asked. "I can't exactly come out and ask about Zemekis – not with Cartwright dogging our steps."

"Sure you can," Ray said. "As a concerned friend of Syd's boyfriend who is languishing in hospital as you speak. It's perfect."

"Perfect."

Murdock nodded thoughtfully. While he thought Ray was a tad off base, he had a few ideas of his own. He could make this work to get a private chat with Syd.

 _TaCA_

"Quite the voyeur today, eh, Cartwright?"

HM. Sydney quickly opened the drawer of her desk and shoved the letter into it. She was locking it and standing as the door to her hooch slammed open and HM and Ray walked in.

"Hey, sugar," Murdock drawled with a little smile. "I was wonderin' if you had a few minutes for a li'l walk."

"Now?"

Syd gaped at him. Outside the door she could see Cartwright watching, a smirk on his face.

"Yea, now – no better time than the present." Murdock grinned at her.

"Are you coming too, Ray?" Syd asked.

"You already got one babysitter." Ray tilted his head toward Cartwright. "I think I'll bow out on this one."

Dropping back into her chair, she said, "Why don't we just talk here?"

HM took her arm and physically lifted her from the chair. "Let's go, sugar. I need some fresh air for this conversation. Jak woulda come on his own, 'cept he ain't exactly able right now."

Jerking her arm out of his grip, she said, "Fine. No need to manhandle me. I'll come with you."

Lifting a hand, palm up, toward the door, HM quirked an eyebrow at her – and then winked. Unsure what was going on, she sighed and preceded him out of the door, doing her best to ignore Cartwright. She'd play along, certain that HM would clue her in at some point… hopefully.

HM led her along the path to the beach, Cartwright following close behind. She became tenser as the silence lengthened. What the hell was HM up to?

Stopping and spinning around as they stepped out onto the sandy expanse, HM finally broke the uncomfortable silence.

"Listen, Cartwright, we'll stay in the wide open. I promise. Just do me a favor and give us a little breathing room."

"Fine. But no hanky-panky, flyboy. I'll be watching."

"Kinky," HM joked.

Sydney couldn't help the snort that escaped. Cartwright took a long stride forward and cupped her chin in an uncomfortable grip. "Trust me, sweet cheeks, I ain't lettin' you outta my sight. So don't try anything."

HM stepped between them, forcing Cartwright to let go. "Back off, asshole."

Cartwright smirked at him. "I look forward to watching Lewis beat your skinny ass to a pulp someday, Murdock."

"I live to be your entertainment," HM responded with a little bow as he surreptitiously pushed Syd out of Cartwright's reach. "Plain sight. I promise."

He turned to walk beside Syd, who looked at him and asked, "So, now you're my protector?"

"Well, while your boyfriend is laid up somebody has to keep an eye on you," HM said, loudly enough for Cartwright to hear. "Lord knows you won't stay outta trouble."

"I've told you before – I don't need a keeper," Syd said, raising her own voice angrily.

"I don't think Jak would agree, Syd." HM's voice was still loud, and still very audible to Cartwright, who stood like a sentinel where they'd left him. "He's worried 'bout you."

Syd crossed her arms and bowed her head. "Jak's the one in the infirmary, not me. Kate said they're planning to ship him stateside soon. I hate that he's leaving, but it will be a relief to know he's safe."

"How do you think he feels?" HM asked severely. "He's worried sick every time you head north with Lewis. It's excruciating… to watch."

Sydney frowned in acknowledgement, knowing HM was expressing his own feelings. She was well aware that he worried about her when she was up north, but it was her job and there was no avoiding it. He had to understand that.

"I have a job to do, just like the rest of you," she responded quietly.

"I know, sugar," HM murmured.

The desire to reach out and touch him, offer some comfort, was intense. So instead, Syd picked up her pace, moving ahead of him to lead the way further along the beach. She stopped at one of the cabanas –empty thanks to the periodic rain. Dropping onto the lounge there, she looked up at HM. His arm had a clean dressing on it, and the other scrapes and bruises from the mission were fading. He stared out to sea, eyes fixed on the horizon, saying nothing. Even as strung out as he was, he was handsome.

He said, "We're far enough away to talk openly… unless Cartwright has super-human hearing."

Suddenly his eyes shifted and fixed on her. The slight smile that lifted the corners of his wide mouth made her flush. Glancing up the beach, she allowed the sight of Cartwright to douse the unbidden desire. They were angled about right so Cartwright couldn't see their faces clearly if they were careful. Looking back at HM, she crossed her arms and tilted her head.

"So what did you want to talk about?"

HM's face tightened, smile melting into a sad frown. "Lee Zemekis."

Sydney sat forward in surprise. "What? Why?"

"Leia saw the letter you were writing, Syd," HM said flatly, his gaze questioning. "I thought you and Zemekis were over?"

Hurt was apparent in his face. Sydney sighed, resisting the urge to stand up and wrap her arms around him – assure him that he was the only man for her. That wasn't wise with an audience.

"It's not what you think, HM. There is nothing, _absolutely nothing,_ between Lee and me. You have my word."

"So why are you writing to him?" HM asked.

Sydney had anticipated this eventuality. At some point, she'd figured HM would notice the sporadic letters from Lee. She hated lying to him, but it was safer for him if he didn't know the truth. She was afraid that she'd gotten the Team too involved in her mess already. In fact, she was terrified that it was her own sloppiness that had landed them on someone's hit list. She glanced away from him, steadying herself to deliver the lie she had practiced. When she looked up at him, she spoke with deliberate conviction.

"I'm trying to let him down easy, HM. He's still trying to convince me to marry him – keeps telling me the ring he bought me is still waiting for me back home. I told him I've met someone, but he's difficult to… dissuade."

HM's dark eyes seemed to burn into her and she held the gaze steadily. She prayed that she had practiced the lie enough that he wouldn't see it. Knowing he had been trained to detect deception, her primary hope was that he was too close to her to read her. After what felt like an eternity, he sighed and dropped his gaze to the sand. When he looked back up, his smile was rueful.

"Ya know, I feel sorry for the guy, but I feel great 'cause it's like I just won the grand prize. Is that wrong?"

"The grand prize? Really?" Syd quirked an eyebrow and smirked at him. "I'm not sure whether to be flattered or slug you."

He grinned at her, his Texan accent thick and enticing. "You know how I feel 'bout ya. Someday we're gonna leave this hellhole behind and I'll getcha a ring, a wedding, and a white picket fence. That's a promise."

Her lips turned up in a spontaneous smile. It hadn't been until she'd met HM that she had started to contemplate a future beyond the war, beyond the spying. A future that included a home and a family with HM.

"I love you, HM. Never doubt that," she whispered.

"I never will," he promised. His gaze swept up the beach, lips thinning into a determined line. When he looked back at her, his eyes were dark and intense. "Meet me tonight, sugar. Please."

She shook her head. "As much as I want to, it's too risky. Cartwright and Lewis aren't leaving me alone."

"I'll talk to Ray," HM said with confidence. "He'll figger out a way to get us together off the radar."

"I don't see how," Syd said. She gave him a stern look. "And don't go doing anything foolish."

"Foolish is my middle name." He gave her a cocky smirk. "I'll see you tonight, sugar."

"HM…"

He raised his voice, look stern, "You should go visit Jak 'stead o' hidin' in your hooch all day."

The severity of his look dissolved into a broad smile as he turned away from Cartwright's direction. He gave her a wink and shoved his hands in his pockets. Ambling down the beach away from her and away from Cartwright, he whistled Steve Lawrence's _Pretty Blue Eyes._ Syd sighed.

Despite her own disquiet about his plans, Sydney couldn't deny the thrill she felt at the possibility of spending some alone time with HM. She watched, admiring his tall, leanly muscular form until he was out of sight. Then she turned to gaze out at the undulating ocean, fantasizing about the promise he'd left her with.

She was so in love with that man.

 _TaCA_


	12. Chapter 11 Midnight Tryst

Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own the A-Team.

Sorry for the delay in posting. My daughter was home, so I've been occupied recently. I'll try to get back on track over the next few days.

Thanks for the reviews – those few words of encouragement keep me writing. Happy reading!

 **Chapter 11 Midnight Tryst**

Murdock slammed into the barracks, glad to see Ray.

A quick glance around told him they were alone, so he asked, "What did you find, Ray?"

"Well, she's been getting letters from Zemekis ever since her arrival. At first they came pretty regularly, but over the last several months the frequency has dropped off. She's kept all of them."

Murdock dropped onto Ray's bed and looked at his teammate. "She told me he keeps pushing her on the proposal and that she's trying to let him down easy. It rings true, but if that's the case, why the hell is she keeping his letters?"

Ray pressed his lips together and shrugged. "I only read the most recent ones, but he does bring up the marriage thing quite a bit. I did find one letter that she's writing back to him. It was definitely discouraging. You know, the whole 'can't we still be friends' routine."

"That's a relief," HM said then held up a hand at Ray's furious look. "She told me how she feels and I trust her, Ray. Don't go all nuts on me. I'm just having a hard time reconciling that with the whole correspondence scenario."

Ray frowned, glanced away, and then fixed him with an earnest look. "Listen, kid, I hate to even mention this, but… maybe Syd's stringing this Lee guy along as a backup. I mean, God knows what we do is dangerous. There's no guarantees that we'll all make it onto a freedom plane. You catch my meaning?"

With a sigh, Murdock nodded. "I do and I don't s'pose I should begrudge her that. I guess as much as I worry about her, she worries about me. Christ, this sucks."

Putting a hand on Murdock's knee, Ray leaned forward and caught his gaze. "If it helps any, I've never seen two people who were more right for each other. You and Syd belong together, Murdock. What you found is worth fighting for."

Murdock grinned. "I know." He hesitated.

Ray sat back and shook his head. "I can see the question in your eyes, kid. Spit it out."

Murdock glanced around, confirming that they were alone. "I need to see her tonight, Ray. Think we can swing it?"

"With Cartwright and Lewis on her like peanut butter on bread?" Ray asked incredulously. "How the hell are we gonna pull that off?"

"I figgered maybe you'd have an idea," Murdock said with a hopeful smile. "I tol' Syd to go sit with Jak. With all the comings and goings, Cartwright and Lewis tend to get a little lax at the infirmary lately."

"Especially if you're not there," Ray said thoughtfully, then peered at Murdock questioningly. "What did you find out about what happened while Syd was up north?"

Murdock was caught flat-footed by the question. "Huh?"

"You know…" Ray grunted at Murdock's blank look. "We're supposed to be figuring out how to help Syd with whatever mess she's gotten herself into now. I'm guessing that involves something she learned while she was up north. She wasn't exactly totally forthcoming about that when we talked to her. Why do you think I wanted you to talk to her, Murdock? She's usually most open with you."

"Oh… we didn't get around to that topic of conversation." Murdock gave Ray a rueful smile, then added hopefully, "If I can get her alone tonight, get her relaxed, I might be able to find out, though."

"Get your fuckin' head outta your gonads, kid," Ray said in obvious disgust.

"C'mon, Ray, you know that ain't the way it is."

Ray sighed. "Yeah, I do. Which is the only reason I didn't flatten you. Alright. I'll talk to Kate, see what we can work out. God knows that that little lady can probably come up with some hair-brained scheme that'll work."

"Kate is amazing," Murdock agreed.

"I told Hannibal we should recruit her as a consultant."

Murdock gaped at Ray. "You didn't."

Ray gave him a shit-eating grin. "Of course I did. But Hannibal said one woman on the Team was all he could handle."

With a thoughtful smile, Murdock said, "Syd can be a handful."

"Whatever we're able to work out, we should be able to get it arranged by midnight. To be safe, you be at the rendezvous at 2300."

Murdock popped to his feet with a wide grin. "You betcha, Ray."

"Not so fast, Murdock. Tonight you'll have a couple hours, tops. I won't be able to babysit you, so I expect you to pay attention to the clock. Got it?"

"Got it, amigo! And Ray, thanks, really."

 _TaCA_

Syd roused herself from the lounge. She had spent enough time daydreaming about HM Murdock. It was time to get back to her hooch and finish the letter. Then she'd go visit Jak, as HM had suggested.

Turning toward where Cartwright had been watching, she was mildly surprised to find Lewis.

Lew met her part way and then fell into step beside her. "Cartwright said Murdock and you took a walk. Already cheating on your injured boyfriend?"

"Fuck you, Lewis. Murdock wanted to talk to me about Jak. He's going home soon and apparently, he's worried about leaving me behind. It's as simple and innocent as that."

"Nothing is innocent where that pilot is concerned, Sydney. He's trouble and you should stay away from him."

"HM and Face are my friends and I'm not going to stay away from them, so kindly drop the subject. I'm tired of all of the men around here treating me like I'm helpless. You. Murdock. Jak. I can take care of myself!"

Sydney couldn't decipher Lew's smirk. She still had a hell of a time figuring the guy out.

"So, where are you going? To the infirmary to make up with Jakowski?"

"Not that it's really any of your business, but I'm going back to my hooch." Sydney glared up at him. "And do me a favor. Stop putting Cartwright on my tail. He pisses me off. I don't know what you're worried about, any way. I thought we had come to trust one another over the last few months and now this. I feel like fucking big brother has moved in with me."

"After that little stunt you pulled in Dien Bien Phu, you're lucky I didn't bring you back here in leg irons. Don't talk to me about trust, Sydney. You have a ways to go to regain mine. As for Murdock – I have never trusted that fucking loser since the day I met him. He's unstable and reckless which makes him dangerous. You need to remember that."

They had reached her hooch, and she opened the door, properly chastised but equally pissed off.

She looked up at Lewis, teeth gritted and had to consciously calm herself. "I don't know what the hell happened between you and Murdock, but I'm tired of getting caught in the cross-fire. And as I've already said multiple times, I'm sorry about what happened up in the Dien Bien Phu. But next time, perhaps you'll do me the courtesy of listening to me when I make a recommendation instead of barking orders. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a letter to finish."

She stepped inside and slammed the door, locking it.

For all the good it would do.

 _TaCA_

Syd felt the tap on her shoulder and Kate's voice hissed, "Syd? Syd, wake up."

With a few slow blinks, Syd cleared her vision and found herself looking into Jak's sleeping face.

 _I remember._

After dropping the completed letter at the mail room, she had grabbed a quick bite to eat and then come to visit Jak. Ray had come to visit as well and filled her in on the plan; and he had stayed long enough for them to play a couple games of gin rummy. Jak had gotten tired, Ray had left, and Sydney had apparently joined Jak in slumber.

It was a good thing Kate was on duty and stayed alert.

"Lew was called away to communications and I haven't seen Cartwright. I think he must have decided you were going to behave."

Sydney grinned. "Maybe that little talk we had earlier got through to him."

Kate nodded, her expression earnest. "Whatever the reason, I think this would be a good time for you to take off. If Lew comes back, I'll tell him you went for a long run, just like you said."

"That should ensure that he won't try to follow. Lewis hates to run," Sydney said with a chuckle. It was one of the early truths she had learned about her partner and she had taken advantage of it more than once.

Syd jumped to her feet, suddenly full of energy. Leaning forward, she gave Kate a quick hug. "Thanks, Katie. For everything."

Within ten minutes, Syd had changed into her running clothes. She took her toiletries bag and a towel to the women's showers and tucked them in a corner. Then she took off on her usual long run route. It was almost midnight, but there were still a few people out and about, and Syd made sure to run near enough to be recognizable. That should solidify her alibi.

Then she sprinted down one of the paths that wound into the surrounding jungle. She'd been warned to be cautious on this route, but in general it was safe, and the seclusion suited her purposes perfectly. She ran for about five minutes and then doubled back through the jungle, making for the Team's workshop and keeping to the shadows.

Pulling out the key that Ray had given her, she stopped as a prickly sensation tightened the skin at the back of her neck.

Suddenly nervous, she gave the entire area a thorough once over to assure herself no one was watching. She was in the shadows of the building, but it felt like she was standing in a spotlight.

After a few minutes, she shook herself and turned toward the door. Her desire to see HM finally trumped her paranoia.

She slid the key into the lock.

 _TaCA_

Murdock lay on the mattress in the back of the ambulance in the work shop, watching the candlelight flicker on the ceiling. He'd been waiting here for the last hour, preoccupied with fantasies about Sydney and listening intently for her arrival.

 _When was she going to get here?_

Finally he heard the key in the lock. Sitting up, he cocked his head and listened as the door opened and shut. He held his breath, straining to hear a clue as to who had come in. Was it Sydney? Or someone else?

 _I'm getting really paranoid._

He smirked at himself. Who else would it be but Syd?

Still, he moved slowly, careful to make as little noise as possible. Hopping lightly out of the back of the ambulance, he peeked around the corner and felt his lips turn up in an automatic smile.

There was no mistaking Sydney's silhouette. He couldn't discern any of her features in the dim light coming through the front windows of the bay, but he knew them by heart anyway, so it didn't matter. The pent up longing of the last couple months felt like it was going to consume him, but he held himself still, leaned on the corner of the ambulance and did his best to keep his voice nonchalant.

"Hey, sugar. Was hopin' that was you I heard."

Her head swiveled his direction. "HM."

Just his name, rich and warm in her mouth. He straightened and strode to her, wrapping her in his arms and pulling her in for a hungry kiss. She didn't resist, melting into him and responding with equal need.

God, he loved this woman.

 _TaCA_

"The back of an ambulance, really?" Syd chuckled. "This has to be a new low, even for us."

Murdock shrugged. While the setting left a lot to be desired, he didn't really care where they were if they were together.

"Ain't the Hilton, but it's private and pretty comfy. Hop on in and see for yourself."

She turned and snaked her arms around his neck, smiling warmly at him. Without thought, he locked his hands at the small of her back, pulling her closer.

Giving him a teasing peck on the lips, she responded, "Only if you're jumping in with me. I couldn't care less about the setting. It's a huge relief to just _be_ with you."

"Amen," he murmured.

She cocked an eyebrow at him. "I thought you didn't believe in God."

"When I'm with you I do," he said seductively. He hoped it sounded seductive.

Giggling, she pulled away from him. "You don't have to woo me, Captain. I'm a sure thing. Or didn't our week in Hawaii convince you of that?"

With a self-deprecating snort, he watched appreciatively as she crawled up onto the mattress. The running shorts she had on left little to his imagination. Reaching the middle of the mattress, Syd turned and plopped her nicely-shaped butt down so she faced his direction and kicked her tennis shoes off into the corner. Looking up at him after slipping off her socks, she raised her eyebrows over those gorgeous blue eyes, and smirked.

"Are you just going to stand there, or come join me?"

"Oh, join you. Definitely."

He started to climb in, but she stopped him with a hand in the middle of his chest.

He pursed his lips. "What's wrong?"

"The clothes need to go."

"Well, what about you?"

Reaching down, she stripped off her tank top. "I have on a lot less than you do. Besides, it's kind of cramped in here."

Straightening, he grumbled but did strip off his t-shirt and toss it into the corner of the ambulance. Hell, who was he to argue with a beautiful woman asking him to strip? Yeah, that was stupid. He bent to untie his shoes, kicking them off impatiently. He unbuckled his belt, unzipped his pants and pushed them off, dropping them with his t-shirt. Finally, he turned and leaned against the ambulance bumper to remove his socks.

When he turned around, fully stripped aside from the bandages that still swathed his one side, Sydney was still sitting where he'd left her, her blue eyes wide and blatantly admiring.

He crossed his arms and quirked an eyebrow at her. "Ok. I'm naked. How 'bout you?"

Giving him an apologetic smile, she reached behind herself and unhooked her bra. "Sorry. I guess I was distracted by the show. How's your arm?"

"Fine," he said. "Katie's been obsessive 'bout keepin' the dressing clean. She said it's healin' up… real… good…"

He floundered to a stop as Syd lay back and shimmied her shorts and panties off. He couldn't tear his gaze away.

Tossing the last of her clothes aside, she gave him an impish grin. "Well? Are you coming?"

He lifted a knee to the mattress and began advancing on her. "Not yet."

"Smartass."

"Look who's talkin'," he said, angling himself over her and then leaning down to cover her grinning mouth with his.

 _TaCA_

Murdock sighed in satisfaction, but as much as he just wanted to lay here and revel in Sydney, it felt like he was crushing her. Then it hit him that there was one important thing he had forgotten.

He lifted his head and gave a grunt of irritation. "Damn, I forgot tissues."

Sydney stroked his cheek. "You know that's one of the things that made me fall for you, don't you?"

He frowned at her. "Forgetting tissues?"

Chuckling, she shook her head. "Your thoughtfulness, smartass."

Propping his head on a hand, he grinned down at her. "This smartass is all yours, though, sugar."

"All yours," she said with a smile.

Feeling himself slide out of her, he grimaced. "Sorry. That's gonna make a mess."

Syd reached behind herself and grabbed her panties from where she had discarded them. "We'll just have to improvise."

He rolled off her, reaching out a hand to help, but she swatted it away. "I can manage. You just lay there and look handsome."

Snorting, he flopped onto his back and waited. It wasn't long before she was leaning up on his chest, the intimate smile on her face making his heart skip a beat. _How did I get so lucky?_

She traced his mouth with a gentle finger. "I think maybe this ambulance is even better than the Hilton."

"Sugar, anywhere you are is like paradise to me."

"Did anyone ever tell you that you're corny?"

"It's part o' my charm." He flashed her a suggestive smile.

She laughed. "A cocky charmer."

"Mhmm," he hummed in response, cupping her face in his hand and running a thumb over her silky cheek. "God, you are beautiful."

Turning her head, she kissed his palm then sat up. "Definitely a charmer."

Hooking his arm behind his head, he propped himself up so he could look at her from his prone position. She tucked her knees up under her chin, hugging them to her chest, and gazed at him disbelievingly.

"What?" he asked. "You don't think you're beautiful?"

She shook her head and chuckled. "I think you're exaggerating. But I do appreciate the compliment."

"I speak simply the truth," he said with a lazy smile. Syd really had no idea how attractive she was. But he was well aware he wasn't the only man on base to notice. "Just ask Lewis."

She rolled her eyes. "Actually, Lewis is pretty pissed off at me at the moment."

"Really? What'd ya do?"

"I didn't listen to him," Syd said with a shrug.

Pushing himself up, Murdock gave her a nudge. "Aw, c'mon, you ain't gonna leave me hangin' like that are ya?"

"I don't know," she said, giving him a wicked grin. "You hang pretty well from where I'm sitting."

He leaned in and cocked an eyebrow at her. "Cute as you are, I ain't lettin' you change the subject that easy, sugar. Spill."

She sighed, pressing her lips into a thin line. "We had a disagreement about the timing of our return from Dien Bien Phu."

"Did he wanna stay longer?"

Snorting, she shook her head. He should have known better.

"I wanted to stay for a couple more weeks. I had… something I wanted to check out. Lewis was insistent that we head back. We argued, then… I took off."

"You 'took off?'" He made air quotes in her face, unable to disguise his upset at this revelation. As much as he hated Lewis, the ass was good at his job. And part of that job was keeping Syd safe while she was up north. Slipping him was risky, at best.

Her jaw clenched briefly, and when she responded, her voice was clipped. "Yeah. I ditched him and did what I needed to do. After I finished, I went and found him –"

"Two weeks later?" Murdock asked incredulously.

"About that. Needless to say, by that time he was beyond furious with me."

"Understandable."

"So you're actually siding with Lewis on this?"

The shit-eating grin on her face chilled him to the bone. He wondered just how reckless Syd was when she was up north. Then he decided it might be better if he didn't know. He already worried enough about her when they were apart.

He grunted in surprise when she gave him a shove and said, "Don't even say it, HM."

"What am I _not_ saying now?" he asked.

"I was doing my job. Just like you do."

She could read his silences pretty damn well. He nodded in acknowledgement, but felt compelled to drive home his point.

"Lewis is there as your backup, Sydney. Slipping him ain't smart." He recognized the anger flashing in her eyes, and tried to diffuse the gathering tension. "Sorry, sugar, I just worry about you. That's all."

Her shoulders slumped and she sighed. "I know you do. I worry about you, too."

"Yeah, but I got the team at my back, though."

"As you just pointed out, I have Lewis," she countered.

He gaped at her. "Lewis? Oh, you mean the guy you ditched?"

"I knew where I could find him. Besides, I am not the one who ended up with shrapnel wounds, HM."

Sydney's blue eyes flashed in anger, again, but by now he was angry, too.

"No, you ended up r–" he stopped himself before he said 'raped' recognizing almost too late that he was pushing too far.

"Go ahead and say it," she muttered through gritted teeth.

He swallowed. Blew out a breath.

"I'm sorry, sugar. I… I'm so sorry." Hooking a hand behind her neck, he pulled her close; kissed her and then pressed his cheek to hers, whispering, "I know you worry 'bout me as much as I worry 'bout you. It ain't a contest. I'm sorry."

She shifted closer and they wrapped their arms around one another.

"I'm sorry too," Syd said, voice muffled in his chest.

He chuckled. "We're quite the pair, aren't we?"

Eyelashes fluttered over contrite blue eyes. "As long as we remain a pair… as in a couple, I'm ok with our more dysfunctional moments."

He tapped her under the chin with his index finger. "Trust me, sugar, you and me are meant to be together, come hell or high water."

She snorted. "We are in Vietnam in the middle a war, HM, and monsoon season seems to last forever here."

"Point taken," he said with a shrug, laying back and motioning for her to join him. "Eventually, we'll be headed back to the Real World. We jus' gotta hang in there 'til then."

She snuggled into his side and he tightened his arm around her. He was content to just lay here and hold her, as long as she'd let him. They got precious little time together, and it was stupid to waste it arguing. Lazy caresses and chaste kissed evolved slowly and deliciously, as they indulged in one another again. He pushed his worry aside and lost himself in the woman he loved.

As had become the norm with their second coupling they seemed more in tune with one another's needs and desires. Their lovemaking was slow, deliberate and intense.

They eventually rolled apart. He reached over her head and handed her the panties again, the action grounding him back in the real world.

"I don't know how much good those are gonna do ya, sugar. Gotta remember some tissues for next time."

She thanked him and they cleaned up, before wrapping together again. He wanted nothing more than to just lie here and enjoy the feel of her body against him, but before long, the need to find out what he could about what had happened up north started plaguing his good mood. He cleared his throat.

"So tell me, sugar… what was it that had you wantin' to hang 'round Dien Bien Phu for another coupl'a weeks?"

The ensuing silence was long enough that he opened his mouth to prod. But that was when she started talking.

"I broke into Kyeh's hooch and poked around some one night…"

Murdock literally bit his tongue to keep from snipping at her. Naturally she had broken into the ranking VietCong officer's hooch to poke around. That was what spies did. And Syd was a spy.

He hated that she was a spy.

"It was pretty much a bust, except for his calendar." She sat up, hugging her knees and fiddling with her toes.

"What was in his calendar?"

"Red marks… every so often." Her eyes narrowed. "The frequency of the marks changed right around the time I was there last… just after Reynolds was killed. It was a long shot but I thought they might be related."

She continued without prompting, "I decided that I needed to find out what Kyeh had going on when those red marks showed up on his calendar. Since the next one wasn't too far away, I wanted to hang around and find out. Lew was ready to head back. That's why we argued. In fact he seemed pretty insistent that we head back…" her eyes narrowed in thought. "Oddly insistent…"

There was another lengthy silence. Murdock needed her to continue the story, so he provided a leading prompt, keeping his tone light.

"So you ditched Lewis. What happened then?"

She cast a searching look at him and he gave her a shrug and a lopsided smile. She smiled back. Argument avoided.

"Yeah, I ditched Lewis and spent the next eight or nine days avoiding him, which was no small task. Then the red letter day arrived, and I followed Kyeh everywhere he went…"

She launched into a detailed account of her surveillance without hesitation. Murdock chose to listen in silence, knowing that any interruption might stem the flow of information. By the time she got to the end, he was sitting up beside her, tense and distressed.

After she'd been quiet for a minute, he finally spoke.

"You're sure it was an American bird?"

She rolled her eyes at him. "Yes. I'm sure."

"This is not good, Sydney. Who else knows about it?"

"Only one other person…"

"Who?"

She lifted one shoulder in a half shrug. "You know."

"I know? So you didn't tell Lewis?"

She shrugged again, lips pressed into a rueful line. "I don't know whether Lewis is involved in the smuggling or not, but given how long he and Cartwright have worked together; and given that I'm certain Cartwright _is_ involved; well, I guess I'm just not willing to take the chance that Lewis might be. So no, I didn't tell him."

"Thank God."

"You don't believe in God," Syd said with a smirk.

"Smart ass."

"Takes one to know one."

He snorted in tacit agreement, but his thoughts were racing trying to figure out the implications of what Syd had observed. He needed to talk to Hannibal about this one.

Nudging him with a shoulder, Sydney spoke softly. "HM, it's ok. Neither of them knew I was there. If you're worrying about protecting me, please stop. I'm fine."

He sighed. "I have my assignments, too, Syd."

"Hannibal? Or Ray?" She shook her head in amusement.

"Both…"

"Typical." Her expression sobered, lips thinning in irritation.

"C'mon, sugar," he said, giving her his best hangdog expression. "I ain't the only one worried about you. And this is big. Way bigger than you can handle on your own. You gotta let the Team help."

 _TaCA_

Sydney could have kicked herself for pouring that story out to HM. She rationalized it by telling herself that he and the Team needed to know. They needed to be careful. But she knew that it was mostly a selfish desire to have someone to talk to about what she was learning.

But now, her conscience was getting the better of her, and she didn't want the Team in the firing line because of her stupid indiscretions. Recognizing that it was probably already too late to avoid that made her that much more intent on protecting them from any further involvement.

"I know you all worry about me, and I really appreciate it. But the fact is that there isn't a whole lot you can do. I'll get a message back to my task force contact and let them take it from here. This isn't the Team's concern." She looked away from HM, unable to lie when she was looking into those warm, brown eyes, and added, "It isn't even really my concern, any more. I just seem to keep… stumbling into it."

Her roaming gaze caught sight of the time, and she sat up straight. "I need to get going. It's nearly 0200!"

HM twisted his arm and looked at his own watch with a grunt. "Damn. It is gettin' late. I suppose…"

She leaned in and kissed his cheek before rising and reaching for her clothes.

HM had slipped out of the ambulance to give her room, but was only half dressed himself by the time she was ready. He helped her down from the ambulance, wrapping her in his arms. She indulged in the hug, pressing her cheek against his warm, bare chest and hooking her hands up over his shoulders.

They stood there just holding one another for several minutes. But knowing that Lew was probably already waiting for her at her hooch, Syd knew she couldn't linger any longer. She kissed the hollow of his throat and cast an apologetic smile up at him.

"I really have to go."

"I know," he said, but he didn't loosen his grip.

"HM, I promise that we'll do this again really soon. But I have to leave, now." She pulled away and reluctantly, he let her go.

She was almost to the door when HM's teasing voice reached her. "Is it too soon, now?"

She shook her head, chuckling. "Smartass."

"I'm takin' that as a term of endearment, sugar."

Hand on the doorknob, Sydney took a deep breath and chanced one last look back at HM. His leanly muscular form stood silhouetted beside the ambulance, and a flush of desire suffused her body in warmth.

She chuckled at herself. Two hours with the man wasn't enough, and there was obviously no denying her feelings for him. "It is definitely a term of endearment, HM."

"Promise I'll see ya for breakfast in the mornin'?"

"I promise."

"I love you, Sydney."

"I love you too, HM. I'll see you in the morning."

She turned away from him resolutely and did a quick scan of the visible area outside of the garage to confirm that there was no one to observe her exit. Then she slipped out and closed the door firmly behind herself. She stood in the shadows for several seconds, scanning her now widened view. The entire area was quiet, but she kept to the darkness any way, heading back toward the trail.

She'd go on a truncated run and then head to the showers. As much as she hated to wash HM away, she knew Lewis would smell him on her and become suspicious. That would ruin the chances of her enjoying another rendezvous with HM in the ambulance.

She was already keenly anticipating their next tryst.

 _TaCA_


	13. Chapter 12 Back to Reality

Disclaimer: Wish I owned the A-Team, but sadly, I do not.

 **Chapter 12 Back to Reality**

It was nearly 0300 when she reached her hooch. As she'd expected, Lewis was there waiting for her.

"I was about ready to send out a search party. Where have you been?"

"I went on a run," she said. "I needed some time alone, to think. Is that alright with you?"

"No need to get defensive," Lew said in his usual emotionless tone. "Kate Evans told me you left for a run before midnight. Three hours is a fucking long run."

She opened her door and stepped into her hooch, pulling the string to turn on the overhead light. "There's a place I go to be alone with my thoughts. I spent a little time contemplating life while I was out there. Maybe next time you'd like to come along and give it a try."

"There's the defensiveness, again," Lew said, one corner of his mouth lifting in amusement. "I didn't say I didn't believe you. I was just worried, that's all."

"Well you can stop worrying," Sydney said. "I'm beat. I'm going to bed."

He bowed his head in acknowledgement, though the leering glance belied the innocence of the gesture. "I'll see you in the morning then."

Closing the door behind Lewis, Syd turned out the light and dropped into bed. Exhausted and completely sated after her time with HM, she quickly dropped off to sleep.

 _TaCA_

Ray waved away Face, BA and Gravy. "Go on ahead. I'll wait for sleepyhead. We'll catch up with you at the mess hall."

As the door closed behind them, Ray strolled over to Murdock's bed and kicked the nearest leg.

"C'mon, kid, time to rise and shine."

The pilot rolled over and stretched, his face set in a satisfied smile. "G'mornin', Ray!"

Pulling out Murdock's desk chair, Ray chuckled. "You look like the cat that ate the canary. I take it you enjoyed yourself last night."

"Oh, yeah." Murdock sat up on the edge of the bed. "Thanks, Ray. Really. You're the best."

"You're welcome. Now, did you keep up your end of our bargain?"

The contentment on Murdock's face melted into an expression of gloom and doom. "Yeah, I found out what happened up north. And it ain't good."

"I didn't figure it would be."

Murdock stood and ran both hands back through his hair, lacing his fingers together at the back of his neck and pacing as he began relating what Sydney had told him. Ray could tell the kid was troubled by what he'd learned, and by the end of the dissertation he knew why.

Sydney had one hell of a nose for trouble, of that there was no doubt.

Rubbing a hand down his face, Ray voiced the decision he'd reached while Murdock was talking.

"This is one you're going to have to talk to Hannibal about."

"Yeah, I know."

"Do you think she's really going to tell her contact in the task force?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure she'll do that," Murdock said. "But I don't see her steering clear of it. It just ain't her style."

Ray snorted. "You got that right."

While talking, Murdock had managed to dress and groom. He stood from putting on his shoes.

"Let's head to the mess, Ray. I'm starved and Syd promised to meet me for breakfast. Maybe you can get her alone and talk some sense into her."

Ray snorted, again, as he followed his young teammate out of the barracks. "You are wildly optimistic, Murdock."

"Hey, a guy can dream, can't he?"

Ray clapped a hand on Murdock's shoulder and gave him a reassuring shake. "Kid, I know you better'n that. Part o' what attracts you in the first place is precisely what makes you worried sick about her. You wouldn't have her any other way. Admit it."

"Fine." Murdock cast a sour look at Ray. "Don't mean I want her in danger, though. And this shit is dangerous in a way I don't even want to contemplate."

Sobering, Ray squeezed Murdock's shoulder before releasing it. "I know, kid. I'm worried about her, too. Hopefully Hannibal can come up with a brilliant plan."

Murdock shoved his hands in his pockets, dark eyes narrowed in thought. "This ain't war, Ray. Hannibal may be out of his league, too. That worries me more than anything."

Ray crossed his arms, teeth clenched. He'd known Hannibal for a long time. The man was a genius when it came to battle strategy. He was bold, fearless and canny. Murdock's lack of confidence in their CO's ability to overcome the threat to Syd shook Ray.

Especially when he realized that in a dark corner of his mind he shared Murdock's fear.

 _TaCA_

Sydney stepped out of the med tent with Katie, into the cloying heat of Vietnam. She had come to visit Jak early and found Katie sitting by his bed, having finished her shift. Jak was stable, but still sleeping most of the time. By the time Syd arrived, he had spent what little strength he had talking quietly with Katie. Jak had given Syd a tired smile and drifted back into morphine-induced slumber.

"Jak's really doing much better," Katie said. "He's scheduled for transport to Saigon tomorrow and should be headed home by the end of the week."

Sydney glanced sideways at her friend, noting a peculiar glow of happiness about her that seemed at odds with the situation.

"What about you, Kate? How are you doing?"

In a sudden show of barely-contained excitement, Katie grabbed Sydney's arm and pulled her into a quiet space between two buildings. She poked her head out of the cramped space, peering around, before turning and grabbing both of Syd's hands in her own.

"Oh, I just have to tell someone or I think I might burst!" she said in a quiet little squeal.

Sydney had to stifle a laugh. "Don't keep me in suspense."

Poking her head out one more time, Kate gave the area nearby another thorough once over. Sydney sighed – they were all becoming just a tad paranoid.

When Katie finally turned and looked at Sydney, her kind gray eyes glowed with happiness. "Jak asked me to marry him and I said 'yes.'"

Sydney pulled her friend into a warm embrace. "Oh, Katie, I'm so happy for both of you!"

Pulling back, Kate couldn't suppress her grin. "I'm so happy I could just… oh, I don't know," she giggled. "I want to scream about it to everyone, but I won't."

Reminded of the subterfuge Kate and Jak were both maintaining for HM and her, Syd sighed. It felt wrong to deny such good friends their celebration.

"You should tell everyone, Kate," she said. "We'll just go with the whole Florence Nightingale scenario, and no one will be the wiser."

"Absolutely not." Kate said with a firm shake of her head. "No, I'll be headed home in six weeks myself, and you'll be left with no one to run interference. While I'm still here, we'll keep up the charade."

Sydney knew there was no arguing with Kate when she spoke in that no-nonsense tone. Though the nurse seemed like a quiet, easy-going sweetheart, she had nerves of steel when it came to her scheming – and for the last few months, Sydney and Murdock had been her project. She was determined to thwart Lewis. The whole situation struck Sydney as incredibly funny at times like this. She chuckled.

"Alright, Kate. You're the boss."

"C'mon," Kate said, tucking her arm into Syd's and dragging her back out into the main roadway. "You said we were meeting the guys for breakfast. We better get moving."

It was all too easy to allow herself to be carried along by the tide of Kate's scheme. All along, Syd had known that at some point that tide would be gone. With the reality of Jak's and Kate's departures imminent, Syd couldn't help the selfish thoughts that preoccupied her now.

What would HM and she do once their cover was gone? If Lewis found out that he'd been deceived she shuddered to think what he would do.

The potential ramifications were too frightening to contemplate.

 _TaCA_

Ray waved at Syd and Kate, and then grinned sideways at Murdock.

"There's your lady now, Murdock."

Murdock's gaze was fixed on the approaching women. "I am one lucky son of a bitch, Ray."

"Can't argue with ya there, kid," Ray responded as Murdock loped to greet the two women, scooping Kate up in a bear hug and kissing her smack on the lips, before turning and giving Sydney a chaste peck on the cheek. Even knowing the pilot would have preferred to swap the greetings, Ray recognized the true affection he felt for both women. Kate had proven a true friend to both Syd and Murdock, as had Jak.

As they turned to move toward the mess tent together, Murdock looked down at Kate, who was now tucked securely under his arm.

"How's Jak this mornin', darlin'?"

"He's improving. Dr. Wainwright cleared him for transport to Saigon tomorrow. I was telling Syd that he should be home by the end of the week."

"That's great news," Murdock said.

Kate glanced over at Sydney, who was walking along beside Ray. "I think Jak would prefer to stay, if only for Syd's sake."

"I'm glad he's going home," Syd said. "He'll get better care state-side and be able to recover more fully."

Katie's smile was sympathetic. "That's exactly what doc said. This is what's best for Jak."

Ray wrapped an arm around Syd's shoulders and squeezed. "You still got us, Syd."

"Lucky me!" Sydney said with a sarcastic lilt. Then she grinned up at Ray with sincere affection. "I really am pretty lucky."

"And don't you forget it!" Ray said with a mock frown.

Looking down into Syd's face he couldn't maintain the feigned severity and broke into laughter.

He'd have to share this little encounter with Trish.

 _TaCA_

Lewis watched, his eyes narrowed suspiciously, as the group including Sydney walked toward the mess tent. Murdock made a show of his affection for the nurse. Too much show. Lewis wasn't buying it.

There was no doubt in Lewis's mind that the pilot still had his designs set on Sydney Wilson. In unguarded moments Murdock's true feelings were as apparent as the stupid smile on his face.

The time was rapidly approaching when Lewis would wipe that smile away. Personally and permanently.

 _TaCA_

Murdock watched as Sydney and Ray walked out of the mess tent together. Ray hadn't held out much hope of getting Syd to see reason and Murdock tended to agree.

Standing, he kissed the top of Kate's head and said goodbye before making his own way out. He needed to go see Hannibal.

Not that he thought that would do much to remedy the situation, either. Syd had gotten herself in over her head. Unfortunately, as much as Murdock hated to believe it, he suspected she was in over all their heads. This situation was not something Shuai-jan was going to easily overcome.

As he moved across the base toward Hannibal's hooch, he considered the options for keeping Syd safe. It made him feel marginally better that she still had contacts within the task force. But given her precipitous, and rather disastrous exit from that group, he wondered just how seriously they would take her.

That left him with his own resources to draw upon. His mentor and boss in the CIA, Ike Cheney – better known as Einstein because of his wild white-blond hair and bushy mustache – was now a muckety-muck within the agency hierarchy in 'Nam. If anyone could help with this mess, Einstein could. But Murdock hadn't seen him since he'd left the Company and he had no idea how to get in touch with him. That meant that the most direct path to contacting Einstein led through Jeremy Lewis. _I am so fucked,_ Murdock thought disconsolately.

With determination, he pushed the self pity to the background and focused on what he needed to do. The approach would be crucial. Murdock walked a dangerous tight rope with Lewis. Given that the spy was looking for an opportunity to pummel him didn't make the situation any better, either. He'd be lucky if he got out of the encounter without a black eye – or worse. Sydney would definitely be pissed off about that. The question was, would she be angrier at him? Or at Lewis?

Probably both.

But there was no avoiding Lewis if he wanted to talk to Einstein. That had become an imperative in his mind. So he'd just have to suck it up and grovel with Lewis, hoping to maintain his nose and teeth intact, if not his pride.

Mind made up, Murdock knocked on Hannibal's door. As soon as he was done here, he'd find Lewis.

Hopefully Einstein was in country and willing to help.

 _f_ R

After listening to Murdock's narrative for the last half hour, Hannibal really needed a drink. He pulled out the fifth of whiskey he kept in his bottom drawer and noted that it was nearly empty. He had to remember to have Face get him a new bottle. Dumping the last of the liquor into his glass, he took a sip of his drink and savored the burn as it slid down his throat. He'd have to make this glass last.

He sat back and considered his pilot. Having finished his report, Murdock had lapsed into a brooding silence, his shrewd, brown-eyed gaze locked on his CO. Times like this made Hannibal wish he'd remained a grunt. Or better yet, a civilian.

Hannibal asked, "Do you think she'll contact the task force?"

Murdock's expressive face reflected keen disappointment – in him. Hannibal ground his teeth to hide his own upset at letting the kid down.

"Like I told Ray, yes I think she'll tell her contact in the task force what she witnessed. For all the good that'll do. They probably wrote her off after that fiasco up in Da Nang when she was investigating the USO."

"I'm not so sure about that. Da Nang was not her fault."

"Like that matters," Murdock muttered sourly.

Hannibal let the comment lie. He knew Murdock had gotten a bum deal from the CIA, but he didn't know what had happened. It was classified – even at his clearance level – and he knew better than to ask any more questions.

"So, Sydney is convinced that Warrington and Cartwright are involved. And she suspects that Morrison is involved, and possibly Lewis. Given the near certainty that Campbell was involved, possibly along with several of Morrison's officers, it makes me wonder how many of the other Alpha Teams could be compromised. Christ, what a cluster."

Hannibal gave up on savoring his drink and knocked back the entire contents of his glass.

"What really worries me is that I can't see Syd leaving it alone," Murdock said. "It's almost like she's trying to make up for Da Nang. I swear she goes looking for this shit. I'm afraid it's going to get her killed."

"Give her some credit, Murdock," Hannibal chided. "Syd has uncovered a lot, and no one seems to be the wiser…"

"Yet," Murdock said. "I hear that unspoken 'yet' in there, Hannibal. She's been lucky. And that luck is bound to give out eventually. We have to do something."

"You know I'd wave my magic wand, but it's all outta ju-ju at the moment." Hannibal tossed the empty glass back in the drawer and slammed it shut. "My biggest problem is that if Syd is right about Morrison – and I hope like hell she isn't – but if she is, then I don't know who to trust."

"I sure as hell don't trust Morrison," Murdock said, then tilted his head and peered at Hannibal. "I was thinkin' 'bout contacting my CIA mentor…"

"Do you trust him?"

Murdock caused the chair he'd been sitting in to teeter when he launched himself out of it. "Einstein got me out of some deep shit with the CIA, Colonel. I guess… well, I trust him as much as you can a Company man."

"That isn't sayin' a whole lot, Murdock," Hannibal grumbled.

"I was a Company man…"

Hannibal heard the self-doubt in that comment. Murdock still seemed uncertain about his position with the Team. He sighed. "But you aren't now, Murdock. I trust you implicitly. I can't say the same for your mentor – not if he's still a spook. Given that the smuggling ring includes people from inside the CIA and the Army, I'm not sure I trust anyone outside of our Team."

"I s'pose you're right."

They both lapsed into silence. Hannibal watched the young man pace the back of his hooch. He suspected Murdock would talk to this Einstein character either way. Hannibal had some contacts of his own that he could certainly approach. The problem boiled down to whether any of the contacts – either his or Murdock's – could possibly be involved in the smuggling ring. Because if they were, that could spell big trouble. Unfortunately, Hannibal was running short on other ideas. They needed somewhere to start.

He took a deep breath. "Alright, I'll tell you what we're going to do. I'll feel out my contacts and you feel out yours – carefully. Don't bring Syd's name into it. In fact, don't name any names. Broach the smuggling angle vaguely and see what kind of reaction you get. Hopefully we'll find some breadcrumbs to follow without landing ourselves in hot water."

Murdock's brown eyes took on a lively glint. "Sounds like a plan, Colonel."

Standing, Hannibal put a hand on his pilot's shoulder and squeezed. "I know you're worried, but we will work this out. We just gotta get through a couple more months and we'll be headed back to the real world. And we're bringin' Syd with us, even if we have to kidnap her and stow her away on the freedom plane."

"Thanks, Hannibal."

 _TaCA_

Ray held the door open to the Team motor pool garage for Sydney to walk through. Following her inside, he closed the door then turned to face her.

She spoke before he could take a breath. "I know what you're going to say, Ray. I already told Murdock. It's fine. They didn't know I was there. I am perfectly safe."

Ray crossed his arms and snorted as he began pacing around her, forcing her to turn to follow him.

"First of all, it is not possible to be perfectly safe in your line of work, Syd. No BS, ok. Murdock is beside himself worried 'bout ya, and I can't blame him. You tend to be a tad reckless when you're up north, anyway, but this is a whole new class of carelessness. You are going to get yourself killed if you don't exercise a little more good sense about the shit you let yourself get caught up in. Let the task force take the risks – this smuggling ring is not worth your life!"

He hadn't meant to yell, but he was very worried about their little spook. As dangerous as her work was, this smuggling ring she kept stumbling upon was ruthless. They'd already killed two people in cold blood. If they found out Syd was onto them, they would not hesitate to bury her.

"You don't need to shout," Sydney responded softly. "I know you're worried about me, Ray. I get it. I told my task force contact and now I'm out. That's it. I promise."

Ray had stopped pacing and stared hard into Sydney's face. He knew better than to mistake the youth he saw in those clear blue eyes for innocence. Sydney was too practiced at lying for him to trust the usual cues. He gave a frustrated grunt.

"I wish I could believe you, Syd, but you are one stubborn chickie. I can't see you leaving this alone. It just ain't your style."

 _TaCA_

Turning away from Ray's probing gaze, Syd walked toward the ambulance. She needed to calm herself. Even now her heart raced and her pulse pounded in her head. It didn't help that she'd only gotten a few hours of sleep last night. She took several deep breaths – in through the nose, out through the mouth – until she felt her vitals settle into a more normal rhythm.

Then she turned and faced the man who had become her confidant, critic and most trusted friend. She could always count on Ray to tell it to her straight, and she knew that was what he was doing now.

"No BS?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "Alright, Ray, here's the truth. Yes, this one is on the task force, I agree wholeheartedly. But if I stumble across this shit, I am _not_ going to turn a blind eye to it. There are too many lives at stake. Bottom line."

Ray's shoulders slumped, and she thought she recognized capitulation in his gaze. What she was talking about was no different than what drove the Team to take on the suicide missions that Morrison tended to set for them. If it meant saving fellow soldier's lives, it was worth the risk. And they all knew the risks.

"I'd agree with you, kiddo, but we aren't talking about the war, here. We're talking about men with purely selfish agendas who couldn't care less about the greater good – whatever the hell that is. The men involved in this smuggling ring are merciless and the last thing I want is for you to be in their sights. _You have to be careful_."

"I am careful."

The door slammed open, causing them both to jump. BA lumbered inside, raising a hand in greeting.

"Hey Ray, li'l sis. What's up?"

"Nothing," they said in unison.

"Ri'" BA grunted, continuing toward the workbench. "If'n ya don' wanna say, jus' tell me to mind my own bidness."

Syd glanced at Ray and exchanged a shrug. Meanwhile, BA picked up a small tool box and turned toward the back of the garage. When he started moving in the direction of the ambulance, Syd felt a surge of dread.

Ray must have felt it to, because he rushed forward and stopped BA with a hand on his shoulder. "Whatcha doin', big guy?"

"Ah, me an' Gravy was talkin' 'bout gettin' this bucket o' bolts runnin' for Christmas. Thought it'd make a decent sleigh for Santa if'n we painted it red."

BA resumed his motion, opening the driver's side door and ducking in to pop the hood. He leaned inside. Then they heard a curious grunt.

Standing, BA walked to the back just as Sydney overcame her inertia and ran forward. Her protest died on her lips as the big sergeant pulled open the rear doors.

"What the –" BA looked from Ray to Syd and back again. "Why's there a mattress in here?"

Leaning in, BA picked something up. A moment later, Syd was mortified as he waved her panties in the air.

"Looks like somebody been havin' a private party in here."

Without thinking, Sydney snatched the panties from BA's paw, grimacing at the crunchiness. She was rudely reminded why she had abandoned them in the ambulance the night before. This could not get any worse.

BA stared at her in shock. "Those yers, li'l sis?"

"Let me explain, BA," Ray said. BA turned to him expectantly. "You see, Syd, well, she and… uh. Shit. Yeah. I got nothin'."

BA crossed his arms and faced Sydney. "You been cheatin' on Jak, Syd? I disappointed in you."

Blowing out a breath, Sydney decided there was no point trying to fabricate another lie. They were already getting too complex to maintain as it was.

"Yes, BA, they're mine. And no, I was not cheating on Jak. The truth is that Jak is engaged to Kate. I was here last night… with Murdock."

Ray leaned in front of her. "Did you say Jak and Kate are engaged? That's great!"

"Yeah. Kate just told me this morning. I was ready to throw in the towel on this whole web of lies then," Syd said. "She and Jak should be able to share their happiness with everyone. But 'no' – Kate's insisting on keeping up the whole charade until she leaves."

"I'll be damned, Mama was right," BA muttered. "I don' believe it. You was with Murdock the whole time in Hawaii, wasn't ya?"

"Yes," Sydney said. It was actually a relief to admit the truth to BA.

"Well now, tha's alright," BA said. "All feels more right now, know what I mean?"

"Until Lewis figures it out," Sydney said, disconsolately. They were so screwed.

"Lewis is not going to figure it out, Syd," Ray said confidently. "We got ya covered. Trust me."

"This has nothing to do with trust, Ray," Syd said.

Ray grinned at her. "Then how's about havin' a little faith, kiddo."

She sighed and sank onto the bumper of the ambulance. She trusted the Team without reservation. That definitely was not the problem.

But faith – she was running a little short on _that_.

 _TaCA_


	14. Chapter 13 Einstein

Disclaimer: I do not own the A-Team.

Enjoy!

 **Chapter 13 Einstein**

It took Murdock a while to find Lewis. The agent didn't usually indulge in drinking and the last place he thought to check was in the bar. He took a seat a couple barstools away from where Lew sat nursing a shot.

Murdock motioned to the bartender, and a glass of the tepid swill that passed as beer appeared in front of him less than a minute later.

Lewis picked up his shot glass and peered at it. "You lookin' for me, Murdock?"

"Not really. I need to talk to Einstein," Murdock said, then took a sip of his drink. "Do you know if he's in country?"

Lew gave an unamused snort. "What's it worth to you?"

Murdock turned to face him with a resigned, "Whadaya you want, Lewis?"

The half smile that curled Lew's lips was disturbing. He tossed back his shot, then motioned to the bartender who brought a bottle and refilled the glass. As he turned away, Lewis grabbed his arm and snarled, "Leave the bottle."

The bartender set the bottle down and backed away from Lew, hands raised. "Whatever, man."

Something had Lew on edge, which was unusual and made Murdock wary. Knowing that the silence was meant to mess with him, he held his tongue and sipped his beer. He'd never gotten accustomed to Lew's mind games, even when they were working together. The guy was warped in more ways than Murdock could count.

Lew downed a couple more shots then turned and fixed Murdock with his emotionless amber eyes.

"Why do you need to talk to Einstein?"

Wanting to tell Lew it was none of his fucking business, Murdock ended up literally biting his tongue. He really couldn't afford to get into a pissing match with the agent right now. "Come on, man, just tell me how to reach him."

"I ask again, what's it worth to you? What does a fuckin' flyboy need with the CIA?"

Murdock held out his hands in supplication. "Just tell me what you want."

There was another lengthy silence during which Murdock forced himself to sit motionless while Lew looked him up and down.

Turning back toward the bar, Lew poured himself another shot, a smug smile curling his lips. "There's your problem, Murdock. You don't have anything I want or need."

"Screw this," Murdock muttered. Leaving his beer, he stood and turned away.

That was a mistake.

He heard Lew's voice behind him. "Except maybe one thing."

Murdock felt the agent clutch his shoulder, just before he was spun around and slammed in the face by Lew's left fist.

Lew had always had a solid left jab. Murdock staggered backwards, tripping over a chair and sprawling on the ground.

Dazed, Murdock felt his jaw tenderly, grateful that nothing was broken. With a thumb, his swiped the blood trickling from a cut on his cheek, looking at the red smear critically. By the time his brains settled back in his head, he realized Lewis was standing over him. He looked up, keeping his eyes locked on the agent as he eased himself to his feet.

Marginally surprised to find himself allowed to become upright, Murdock widened his feet into a fighting stance and glared at Lewis.

"Feel better now, asshole?"

"A good start," Lew said in his usual, emotionless monotone. "But only a start."

Lew's hands hung at his sides, but only a fool would mistake his relaxed posture for laxity. Murdock shifted nervously. Lew outweighed him by at least fifty pounds. This would not be an easy fight.

"That was a cheap shot," Murdock said. "I thought even you were better than that, Lewis."

Lew's lips curled. "But you see, Murdock, there's part of your weakness. You worry about what's fair and right. This is war, and we win by whatever means necessary."

"You and I are not at war," Murdock reasoned. It was worth a shot.

"Yes, we are."

For a big guy Lew was fast, but this time Murdock was ready for him, and he was faster. He side-stepped the rush. Then he spun behind the agent and slammed his joined fists into his back, using Lew's forward momentum to drive him to the ground.

Lew didn't stay down long, though, and soon they were circling each other, both watchful and cagy. Murdock bided his time, remaining on the offensive. It was his best strategy in a fight where he was at this much of a weight disadvantage.

"Come on, flyboy, make a move," Lew taunted.

"You're the one that wanted this fight, Lewis, not me," Murdock said. "We could both walk away, right now."

"So you were all talk before Hawaii, huh? I knew you didn't have the balls to face me. Sydney deserves better than a chicken shit flyboy," Lew goaded.

Murdock smirked. "You aren't the one I'm afraid of, Lew. You're a pussycat compared to Syd on a bad day. She's got one helluva a temper."

"Afraid of a woman? You're more pitiful than I thought."

Lew made his move, this time an upper cut. Murdock dodged, but not quite quick enough. The blow glanced off his jaw, stinging but not really causing any damage. He responded with a roundhouse that caught Lew solidly near the eye socket. He followed immediately with a jab to the solar plexus that caused Lew to grunt, but didn't really wind him like Murdock had hoped.

Using his weight advantage, Lewis body slammed Murdock against a table which promptly buckled under their combined weight. Murdock had the air knocked out of him as Lewis landed squarely on top.

Pushing up part way, Lew landed an awkward punch to Murdock's jaw. Hitting and kicking desperately, Murdock managed to dodge the next punch and get out from under the man.

He scrambled to his feet faster than Lew and landed a vicious kick in the agent's kidneys. But again, Lew merely grunted, the hit barely slowing his progress to the upright.

Murdock stepped back into a fighting stance, to give himself room to maneuver and think. He suspected the agent was playing with him… like a cat plays with a mouse. Lewis was a solid slab of a man, and Murdock needed a strategy if he was going to get out of this bar with his teeth intact.

"That's enough!"

Recognizing the voice, Murdock turned in surprise. "Einstein?"

That's when Lewis cold cocked him.

 _TaCA_

The astringent odor of smelling salts jolted Murdock awake. He found himself in the infirmary, Katie leaning over him.

"How do you feel, HM?"

"Like I got run over by a tank," Murdock muttered, moving his jaw experimentally and grimacing at the creaking sound it emitted.

"Apparently it was Lewis, so you aren't far off with the tank theory," Katie said as she straightened. "There's some guy waiting out front for you. He was with Lewis when he brought you in. He wouldn't tell me his name."

Murdock shook his head and winced. "Lewis brought me in?"

"Carried you in himself," Katie said. "He didn't look happy, mind you, but he laid you down on the bed as gentle as could be. It was a little surreal."

"Huh," Murdock grunted as he eased himself to a sitting position.

Katie expounded as she busied herself getting him comfortable, putting a hand on his shoulder to pull him forward so she could adjust the pillows at his back, talking all the while.

"Anyway, this guy, whoever he is, is all mysterious. He and Lewis talked for a few minutes then Lewis took off. But he said he would wait until he could talk to you. When I asked him his name, he just smiled and said it would be better if I didn't know. You have some strange friends, HM."

When she settled him back, he was much more comfortable.

"Thanks, sweetheart," he murmured with a smile.

Katie crossed her arms and peered at him. "So, it _was_ Lewis that hit you?"

Murdock nodded. "I went to talk to him at the bar and he was being an ass, so I decided to leave. That's when he hit me."

"Really?" Katie lifted one perfectly-plucked eyebrow. "Because it looked like maybe you got a couple good hits in yourself."

"Well, yeah. I mean, Lewis started it, but I wasn't gonna just stand there and take it," Murdock responded defensively.

Katie shook her head, leaning close as if adjusting his pillows again. Her voice was low, meant only for him. "You better come up with a better explanation for Syd, hon. She is not going to be happy when she hears what happened."

With a resigned sigh, Murdock said, "I know. Nothin' for it, now. Would you be a peach and get that guy that's waiting for me? I really do need to talk to him."

Straightening, Katie gave him a critical once-over. "Are you sure you're up to it?"

"I'm fine."

Katie actually crossed her arms and tapped her foot. Murdock gave her a bright smile, and let his Texas accent have free rein.

"Really, I'm fine. Jus' have a teensy li'l headache's all."

Katie gave a disbelieving shake of her head, but turned toward the waiting room. "Fine. I'll go get him. _After_ I get you some pain reliever."

 _TaCA_

Ike Cheney walked into the room like the ghost he was. Murdock noted that his white blond hair had been cropped into a standard crew cut, and he was clean shaven. The lack of the signature hair and mustache made his Einstein nickname seem inappropriate.

Sitting up, Murdock swung his feet to the floor. He was doubly grateful to Kate for bringing him the unrequested pain reliever. It was helping clear the fog from his head. He suspected he was suffering from a mild concussion. He'd have to remember to thank Lewis later.

Ike stopped at the end of the bed Murdock was sitting on, arms crossed and feet planted shoulder-width apart. He reminded Murdock of his first drill sergeant.

"So, HM, how are you?"

"I'll live. No thanks to Lewis."

Shaking his head, Ike chuckled. "You two always were at each other's throats – even when you were partners."

"If you asked Lewis, we never were partners," Murdock said. "He never made any secret of the fact that he considered me a liability."

"You kept Lewis human, HM," Ike said. "He never has been comfortable with that part of himself, so he didn't value what you brought to the partnership. But the fact was that _that_ was exactly what Lewis needed – still needs, truth be told."

"I don't think he'd agree with you," Murdock said. "And I ain't goin' there again."

"That's probably for the best all around," Ike said with an amused grin. "So, HM, Lewis told me you were trying to find out how to reach me. Here I am. What did you need?"

"Uh," Murdock glanced around at the full beds. While it was unlikely that anyone was really listening, it was a little too public for his comfort. "Let's get outta here."

"Are you sure that little nurse is going to let you leave? She seems like a pretty tough cookie."

"You have no idea." Murdock stood and made for the door. "But you don't need to worry 'bout Kate."

In the waiting room, Kate immediately stood and approached him when they entered. "And where do you think you're going, Captain?"

"No privacy here, darlin'," Murdock drawled. "Don' worry, I'll be back before you know it."

Kate sighed, her pretty face softening into a worried frown. "HM, you have a concussion. You need to rest."

"Ain't the first. Pr'y won't be the last. I'll live." Murdock leaned down and kissed her forehead and tapped her chin playfully with an index finger. "'Sides, you know I'll check in with my favorite nurse later."

Kate smiled at him and reached up for a real kiss. When she stepped back she gave him a no-nonsense look. "You'd better or I'll hunt you down."

Murdock quirked an eyebrow at her. "Promise?"

"Behave yourself out there, flyboy."

Ike's expression prefaced the ribbing coming as he held the door for Murdock.

"So, you and the nurse, huh?"

Murdock shrugged. "For a little while longer. Kate heads stateside in six weeks."

"She's a pretty little thing. Not gonna hook up with that in the Real World?"

"Ain't gonna make Kate promise herself to someone who ain't sure he can join her."

"Noble."

"Not really."

They lapsed into silence, and Murdock was grateful for the chance to think. He had hoped to have some time to plan this interview. Ike's sudden appearance was making that impossible. His first priority was to keep Syd out of it. Almost as important, he wanted to minimize exposure of the Team. It was going to be tricky.

Ike was leading the way, and Murdock followed out of habit. Ike had been his mentor in the CIA and was a natural leader. He had skyrocketed from field agent to Laos lead agent to Southeastern Asia coordinator over the last several years. When Murdock had met him, he was already being considered for the coordinator position – impressive for an agent that was under fifty. At least Murdock assumed he was under fifty. He didn't really know.

They ended up at the interrogation bunker. Ike walked down the central hall to the office at the end. A flick of a wrist and the two men inside got up and left without a word. Ike closed the door behind them and then turned to Murdock.

"This is about as private as you can get, HM. What did you want to talk about?"

"What brings you to Nha Trang, Ike?" Murdock asked casually, leaning against a desk, and watching his mentor keenly.

"You know better than to ask."

"C'mon, Ike," Murdock cajoled. "You must have a cover story. Lie to me."

"Is that how this is going to go, kid? Because I don't think you're in my league."

"Don't I know it!" Murdock said with a grin. "Just humor me."

"I'm at Nha Trang monitoring interrogation techniques," Ike said. "Got your baseline?"

"For all the good it'll do me."

"Can we get on with this?"

Murdock stood up and shoved his hands in his pockets, pacing. "I'm not sure this is anything, really. But you're the only person I could think to ask. I don't know much and it's a touchy situation…"

"You always did talk too much. Just spit it out, kid."

Looking up at his mentor with a sheepish smile, Murdock said, "What can I say? Some things never change."

Ike raised his eyebrows and waited.

Murdock took a deep breath and blurted, "Have you heard any rumblings about a smuggling ring that's supplying guns to the Vietcong?"

Ike's eyes narrowed. "Where did you hear about it?"

"Does it matter?"

Standing, Ike crossed his arms and took a deep breath. "It does. HM, this is very important. How did you learn of the smuggling ring?"

"I haven't really _learned_ anything," Murdock said. "I just heard a rumor that Campbell was killed because he was involved in a smuggling ring and it's kinda freaked me out – especially after what happened during the trail intercision attempt."

"You mean when Campbell's men were killed in the bombing?" Ike asked, his tone cold. "I heard that you were implicated in that fiasco."

Murdock licked his lips. "I was cleared of all charges after Colonel Campbell came forward and took full responsibility. It was the next day that he supposedly committed suicide. Personally, I'm not so sure he killed himself."

"When did you hear this rumor? And from whom?"

Shaking his head, Murdock echoed his mentor's words. "You know better than to ask."

"This isn't a game, HM."

"No shit."

They faced off for several seconds. Ike's gaze never wavered, but he did speak.

"The smuggling ring is a reality. There's a task force in country. It's headed by the FBI and is investigating even now. But that's all I know, HM. The whole thing is top secret, so don't breathe a word of it to anyone else. And you must be very careful asking these sorts of questions. You don't know who might be involved or investigating and given your history either one could be problematic for you. My advice - steer clear of it."

"That could be difficult," Murdock said. "I'm guessing I'm already in someone's sights based on the mess with Campbell. In fact, I'm wondering if Morrison might not be involved."

"That's a serious allegation," Ike said. "Especially without proof."

"I know. But I sure would like to know who to trust around here."

Ike pursed his lips.

"Give me some time to look into it. I have some contacts in the task force. I'll see what I can find out."

"I appreciate it, Ike."

 _TaCA_

"Lew won't figure it out, Syd," Ray said for the umpteenth time.

Blowing out an exasperated breath, Sydney turned and planted herself directly in his path and put a hand in the middle of his chest.

"He will if you don't shut up, Raymond," she growled.

They were pretty much alone on a path at the outskirts of the airfield, where the frequent comings and goings provided a constant hum of masking noise. But that didn't lessen Syd's worry that Lewis might somehow overhear. She'd worked with him for nearly five months now, and he was the most resourceful and canny man she'd ever met.

Ray did a full three-sixty and then held his arms out, palms up. "How? Syd, there's nobody around."

"I don't know," Sydney said helplessly. "I'm getting so paranoid, I can hardly function. You know I spent at least five minutes standing outside of the garage last night jumping at every little sound and worrying that somehow Lew had followed me. I almost didn't go in, Ray."

Putting his hands on her shoulders, Ray began kneading and Sydney felt some of the tension leave her. But not all.

"You need to relax, kiddo. Lew's good at what he does, sure. But he's just a man. If you stay cool, we'll get through this."

Taking a deep breath, Syd decided to stop arguing with him. For now.

"Whatever, Ray."

Ray gave her shoulders a final squeeze and let her go. His broad grin indicated his misinterpretation of her response.

"Alright then! I'll do some reconnoitering for a new meeting place. May take me a few days, so just be patient and stay cool."

With a flippant wave of his hand, Ray left her standing there.

Shaking her head, Syd turned and made her way back to her hooch. She was exhausted and that was not helping with her mood. What she needed was some rest and quiet so she could decide how to proceed.

She could no longer deny her feelings for HM. She had surrendered herself to him in Hawaii and recognized that there was no turning back. But given their situation in Vietnam, it would be prudent for both of them to take a step back. Nothing permanent, just a brief hiatus. That was all.

But she knew HM Murdock, and he was not going to like that idea.

Her thoughts whirled around this conundrum all the way back to her hooch. Once there, she propped the door open to alleviate the stuffiness inside. Then she pulled her desk chair near the entry and sat back with her feet propped up on an overturned crate.

Staring outside at nothing in particular, she continued her internal debate, trying to figure out how to convince HM that they should take a break until they could head back to the Real World. When they got home, away from the Army and the CIA, they could begin their life together without all the subterfuge. But until then it was too risky to continue getting together like they had last night.

But she had _so_ been looking forward to their next rendezvous. She sighed. She needed to maintain her own resolve – strengthen it – if she was going to remain stalwart in the face of Murdock's certain dissent. This was what was best for them both. She had to make him understand that. She wasn't saying never, just not now.

She wasn't sure how long she'd sat there going over the arguments in her mind. She must have dozed at some point, because she startled awake when a man rapped on her hooch. Disoriented at first, she looked up blearily. The silhouette of the man framed in the doorway struck a familiarity cord, with a brief flash to a similar outline shadowy against the backdrop of a helicopter. The impression faded as quickly as it had arisen when she recognized who was standing in her doorway. She shoved to her feet and held out a hand in greeting.

"SSA Cheney, I'm surprised to see you here, sir," she said deferentially as he took her hand in a firm handshake.

"Just call me Ike, Sydney. I don't stand on formalities in my group. We got too damn much bullshit to deal with as it is."

"Yes, sir… Ike."

Sydney bit her tongue before asking him what he was doing here. That question was never seen as innocent in the CIA and Cheney was unlikely to be truthful with his answer anyway. She had only met Cheney one other time – when she had accepted his offer to leave the Bureau and join the Central Intelligence Agency as a working field agent in Nha Trang. It wasn't long afterwards that she had found herself relegated to a backroom in Saigon as a paper pusher.

Coincidence? Perhaps. She'd never had the opportunity to discuss that little SNAFU with him, and she was reluctant to do so now. Her ghost supervisor, Peter Quinn, had told her that Cheney was well-connected in Southeast Asia, but that she had to be cautious in her dealings with him. Quinn had been cagey about why, but Sydney had the distinct impression that he suspected Cheney was complicit in the smuggling if not directly involved.

She gave herself a mental shake. With Cheney, she needed to pay attention and be wary. So, she waited silently, watching keenly. She figured Cheney would reveal the reason for his visit when he was ready. She didn't have to wait long.

"I understand from Lewis that you disobeyed a direct order during your latest foray north."

Lew had tattled on her. Raising her eyebrows, Sydney said, "I didn't realize it was an order. I took it as an opinion – one with which I did not agree."

Cheney crossed his arm and narrowed his gaze, his stance and tone brooking no argument as he interrupted her. "Lewis is the senior field agent. His _opinion_ is final."

Despite her reservations, Sydney countered, "In the field, he is my partner. That was our agreement when I came to Nha Trang."

"Your agreement?"

"Yes. Our agreement." Sydney crossed her arms, and decided to push her position. She met Cheney's gaze steadily. "When I left my official CIA assignment in Saigon and made my way to Nha Trang, I figured I was negotiating my own, new position – a position which you obviously endorsed. As part of that, Lewis and I came to an agreement about our partnership in the field and so far it's worked out pretty well. But I refuse to be bullied when I'm working _my_ network. If there's a problem with that, then maybe you should send me back to Saigon."

"Or maybe I should send you home."

Sydney clenched her teeth and remained silent.

Cheney took a deep breath and pushed open the screen door. "Walk with me, Sydney."

Following Cheney out into the heat of the day, Sydney maintained her silence. If Cheney sent her home, it would certainly solve her personal problems. Unfortunately, it would be a professional failure. She had made progress in exposing portions of the smuggling ring. And she knew there was more she could do to aid the task force in bringing the entire operation down. But she needed time.

"I understand your upset about being assigned to Saigon, Sydney. You have to understand that when I offered you the field agent position, it was without thought of the fact that you are… well, a woman. I was impressed when you took the initiative to basically reassign yourself to Nha Trang."

Sydney was surprised by Cheney's conciliatory tone. But the next part of his speech had a definite edge of steel in it.

"But I'm taking a lot of heat for allowing you to remain here in your current position. And when the ranking agent expresses concern about your cavalier attitude regarding your own safety when you're up north, you should understand that it concerns me."

"I do understand," Sydney said, and left it at that.

The ensuing silence felt strained, but Syd remained silent. Unsure where Cheney was planning to take this discussion, she waited for him to steer the conversation.

"Nothing to say in your defense?" Cheney asked after nearly a minute of silence.

"Does it matter what I say?"

Grimacing at the petulant sound of her own voice, Syd amended, "I'm sorry, I guess I'm just feeling a little defensive. I know Lew was upset about the last couple weeks in Dien Bien Phu. But I was fine and there was a lead I had to follow up on. It was something perishable and if we'd headed back to Nha Trang when Lew wanted to I would have lost my window."

"And what was this lead?" Cheney asked.

Sydney pursed her lips and weighed what she should tell him. Lew had not inquired beyond the immediate intelligence she had provided regarding the POW-baited trap. But that really didn't provide an explanation for her refusal to leave Dien Bien Phu. She decided to go with a partial truth.

"I had broken into General Kyeh's hooch and found an odd, recurring entry in his calendar. I wanted to check it out."

"What was odd about it?"

"No words, just a big red asterisk. It recurred every four to six weeks for the previous few months. I thought it had to be significant."

Cheney stopped her suddenly with a hand on her arm. "And was it?"

Sydney's head snapped up at the tension she thought she recognized in Cheney's voice. His expression was as bland as ever, but there was a barely-contained energy in his rigid stance.

She licked her lips, feigning discomfort and allowing a note of shame to color her next response. All the while watching him through the veil of her lashes.

"Unfortunately, no. It was a bust. I followed Kyeh all day on the day in question and he didn't do anything out of the ordinary. That's why I stuck around a little longer. Hoping I'd learn something to redeem myself. And I did. So, it wasn't a total wash."

Meeting Cheney's eyes, Syd held the gaze briefly before looking away – careful to look up and to the right. She grimaced, and shifted uncomfortably under his intense scrutiny. She was hoping he took her demeanor for embarrassment and didn't recognize it for the subterfuge that it was.

Pressing his lips together into a thin, reproving line, he seemed to gather his thoughts. When he spoke, his tone was terse and unbending.

"From now on, when Lewis tells you it's time to head back to the ranch, you will listen or you'll be on the first plane stateside. Am I understood, Special Agent?"

Syd licked her lips and nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Good. Carry on."

Cheney turned and strode away from her. Sydney stood there watching until he was out of sight. That had been a strange encounter.

But what did it mean?

 _TaCA_

Lewis ground his teeth and waited for Cheney to begin their 'discussion.' Knowing Cheney had talked to Murdock, and then to Sydney, Lewis suspected this discussion was likely to take the form of an ass chewing.

And he was the chew toy.

They went to the next to the last interrogation room at the opposite end of the central bunker hall from the office. Cheney opened the door and motioned Lewis inside, then followed and closed and locked the door behind them.

"I had them empty this end of the bunker and then cleared the rooms of bugs myself. We can speak freely here."

The bunker was heavily insulated against noise. A fact of which Lewis was keenly aware. It meant that prisoner interrogations didn't disturb anyone outside – even when the prisoner might be inclined to scream. However, in this situation, it meant Lewis was himself isolated – alone with the one man that frightened him.

Cheney was the only man Lewis had ever met that was as callous about human life as he was. Cheney didn't have friends, he had assets, and he was ruthless about using those assets to his advantage. But where Lewis was known for his coldness, Cheney was generally seen as a stand-up guy. Everybody liked Cheney. On the surface, he came across as the snake charmer – able to control the deadliest of situations.

But Lewis knew the truth. In reality, Cheney was the snake – a heartless constrictor that would grin to your face while he coiled his body around you for the kill. If you were expendable, you were doomed because eventually you would become the meal. The key in dealing with Cheney was to remain indispensable.

Unfortunately, Lewis knew he was currently treading thin ice in that regard. He had rocked the boat with Murdock. And Murdock was Cheney's pet mouse.

That had been a grave error on his part.

Cheney turned a bland gaze on Lewis. "Wilson nearly stumbled on the truth, Lewis, and you are to blame. You're supposed to be keeping her under control – especially when you're in the field."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Lewis responded. "Sydney was working her network the entire time we were up North."

"She knows about the monthly meetings with Kyeh, asshole," Cheney growled. "Get your head out of your ass and start paying attention to what she's doing up there."

"Explain."

Cheney stepped forward, his voice low and dangerous. "She searched Kyeh's personal quarters and found the meeting in Kyeh's calendar. That's why she insisted on staying in Dien Bien Phu. I don't know how the hell you missed that."

Pursing his lips, Lewis remained silent and unflinching, holding Cheney's piercing gaze. He recognized that he had a blind spot where Sydney was concerned. She had omitted that information from her briefing with him and he hadn't even caught on. He was going to have to be more vigilant in the future.

Cheney crossed his arms and turned away to begin pacing the length of the room.

"Based on what she told me, she missed Kyeh's hike to the rendezvous to meet me… but I'm not so sure she was telling me the truth. You need to figure that out. If she suspects that either of us is involved, she is going to have to be eliminated." He turned and glared at Lewis. "We can't have her reporting back to the task force. I am almost certain Quinn is staying in contact with her. I don't know how, but he knows things that he shouldn't. If it weren't for her connection to Murdock, I'd say we eliminate her now to be safe."

Lewis stared at Cheney, considering how to respond. He'd kill Cheney before he'd allow him to harm Sydney. Maybe that wasn't such a bad idea. The only problem was that he was certain that Cheney had a contingency plan for that possibility. Cheney knew him better than anyone, and knew damn well what he was capable of.

"Sydney will not be a problem," Lewis said.

Cheney sneered at him. "And you can guarantee that?"

"I can."

Encroaching on his personal space, again, Cheney snarled, "If she gets out of line again, you will take care of her yourself. Otherwise, you'll find yourself in a very uncomfortable position. Understood?"

"Understood."

Cheney held his gaze for several seconds before giving a nod of acceptance. "Good. Talk to her and make sure she didn't follow Kyeh to the rendezvous. If you're convinced she's telling the truth, we'll let her ride for now. She and Smith's A-Team are our free-and-clear ticket back to the Real World. I'd rather not have to come up with a new exit strategy this close to the finish line."

"Neither would I."

"With the task force cranking the heat up on our operation, I have decided we're moving up our timeline. You and Morrison have your marching orders regarding the A-Team – I want them in hand by early next month. In the meantime, I'm counting on _you_ to keep a lid on Sydney. I should have all the dominoes in the exit strategy set within the next two months. Then we'll be home free."

"I'll manage Sydney."

"You better manage yourself too, asshole," Cheney spat. "You need to fucking suck it up and play nice with Murdock from here on out. That's an order, Lewis. I'm not fucking around. Murdock is hands off. No more confrontations. No more sucker punches."

Lewis ground out, "I understand."

"You better."

Striding to the door, Cheney turned and looked back at him.

"If you fuck this up, _you_ are my exit contingency. Just remember that Lewis."

Cheney left.

Lewis stood there for a minute, until he heard the outer door of the building open and close to herald Cheney's exit. Pacing to the interrogation table, he picked it up and threw it against the wall with enough force to splinter it into tinder. He gazed impassively at remains as he worked out a plan to pull the pieces of his own broken strategies back into a cohesive whole.

Playing nice with Murdock would be a cake walk at this point. In fact, he found himself enjoying the contemplation of what would happen to the pilot as a POW. He relished the part he would play in ensuring the capture of the A-Team by the North Vietnamese.

But the late inclusion of Sydney in the exit strategy was a definite problem. He was determined to make a future for himself in the Real World – a future that included Sydney. Nobody was going to take that away from him.

Not Cheney. Not Murdock. Nobody.

Sydney was his.

 _TaCA_


	15. Chapter 14 Goodbyes

Disclaimer: I don't own the A-Team.

Happy reading!

 **Chapter 14 Goodbyes**

December 22 dawned clear and cool. Sydney woke early, dressed quickly, and headed to the infirmary.

Everyone was still sleeping, including Jak, when she arrived. She sat down in the visitor chair next to the bed and scooched close, surveying his face critically. The bruising had darkened to a mottled black, blue, and green with a maze of healing cuts and scratches. His injuries were healing and his complexion was finally regaining some of its natural ruddiness.

She pursed her lips and fingered the covers near his hand, hesitant to touch him lest she wake him. She had wanted to get here early enough to avoid her keepers, as well as the others that she was sure would come to wish him farewell today. She wasn't planning to make her own goodbye lengthy – it would be too difficult. While her relationship with Jak was not as intimate as it appeared, she considered him one of her best friends here. It would be difficult to see him go. Happy as she was for him, she could not help the selfish part of her that wished he could stay.

"Hey there sweetheart."

Jak's soft, scratchy voice startled her out her thoughts. She met his familiar brown eyes, crinkled at the corners by a soft smile.

"Hey."

"You're here early." His gaze strayed toward the entrance, and he gave a little sigh of apparent relief. "And you're alone."

Slipping her fingers into his, she took a deep breath and said, "I wanted to talk to you before everyone else showed up and made it too… difficult."

He squeezed her hand. "I'm glad you did."

Keeping her voice low, Syd smiled. "Katie told me your news, Jak. I'm so happy for you."

"Thanks. You know, I owe it to you and Murdock." He grinned, continuing in a conspiratorial whisper, "Hadn't been for you two messed up lovebirds, I pr'y never woulda met my Katy-did. And she's the best thing ever happened to me. Hands down."

"Messed up – that's HM and me to a T," Sydney said ruefully. "Maybe someday we'll get our act together like you and Kate. You're so good for each other."

"Don't I know it. But so are you and Murdock. You aren't the problem – it's the assholes around you," Jak said. "You got lots goin' for ya… just hang in there a little longer."

"I'm going to miss you, Jak." Syd felt a tear slip down her cheek. "You and Kate, both. I don't know what I'll do without you here to help keep me sane."

Jak's face tightened. "Please don' cry, Syd. Ya still got the Team. It'll be ok. Before you know it, you'll be back in the Real World."

Syd swiped at her cheeks and gave a hoarse bark of laughter. "I'll cry if I want to, asshole. I love you and I'm allowed to be happy you're going home in almost one piece. And maybe even allowed to feel a little sad for myself."

His responding chuckle was interrupted by a wide yawn.

"Yer right, swee'heart," he murmured. "I jus' wish I could make it all better ri' now."

Leaning over, Sydney gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"You already have."

 _TaCA_

Murdock walked into the infirmary and headed straight toward Jak's bed. He was asleep, and so was Sydney, their hands twined together and her head resting on the bed next to Jak. Murdock wondered just how early she had arrived.

He took a seat on the opposite side of Jak's bed from Syd and leaned back to wait for them to awaken. Jak was looking loads better, though he was still sleeping much of the time. Murdock was just grateful that he had made it through that cluster fuck of an extraction, because if he hadn't… well, he decided he didn't really want to contemplate that.

His gaze strayed to Syd, and he felt a smile curve his lips as he studied her. Her mop of thick hair was currently bleached a brassy blonde, and though it wasn't his favorite it was preferable to the dull black she dyed it when she was heading north. He much preferred the natural honey gold color, which was just starting to grow out at the roots. Her large widely-set eyes were currently closed, dark lashes thick against her high cheekbones.

"Hey, Murdock," Jak murmured.

Sitting forward, Murdock grinned at his friend, but kept his voice low. "Hey, Jakowski. Ready to catch that freedom plane?"

"You know it, brother," Jak said. "Haven't seen ya much lately."

"Morrison's been pushing. Hannibal's trying to shield us from the worst of it, given the holidays, but it's obvious we're not getting an extension on this team training BS."

"So you gonna try to teach a greenie to fly a slick? Good luck with that."

Murdock smirked in agreement, then grinned. "Hey, speaking of luck, Congratulation. Ray tol' me 'bout you 'n Kate." He gave Jakowski a mock glare. "You better treat her right, by the way. Or I'll hunt you down."

"Oh, tough guy." Jak sneered at him. "You get back to the Real World and we better get an invite to a wedding. Or I'll hunt _you_ down."

Murdock chuckled. "Deal."

Jak's gaze took on an inquisitive cast. "Looks like you're gettin' a heck of a shiner, there, bud. What the hell happened?"

Reminded of his tussle with Lewis the day before, Murdock recalled why he had been avoiding Sydney. "Oh, yeah. Well, you know. Lewis."

"Say no more. How bad was it?"

"Asshole coldcocked me when I turned my back," Murdock said sourly. Sydney stirred. Grimacing, he hissed, "And I'd like avoid having to explain it to Syd."

Jack snorted. "She's gonna be pissed at you, my man. But are you willing to avoid her for the coupla weeks it's gonna take to heal?"

Murdock gave a groan as he stood. "Naw. But maybe a coupla days. I'm gonna jet, Jakowski. Enjoy your freedom flight, brother."

He leaned down and he and Jakowski gave one another an awkward hug. The movement seemed to jar Sydney, who gave a little sigh and began to lift her head.

Waving a hasty goodbye, Murdock turned and hurried out.

But he couldn't resist a glance back, watching as Sydney stretched and opened her eyes, which looked after him in curiosity. He gave her a quick wave before ducking past the curtains. The smile on her face made his heart skip, and he almost turned around. Almost. But before he faced Syd, he knew he needed to figure out how to explain away the pummeled face.

Blaming Lewis wasn't going to fly with her.

 _TaCA_

"Where is he going?"

"Uh… said he had a meeting with the Colonel," Jak fabricated quickly.

Syd cast a narrow look at him. "I call bullshit, Jakowski. Murdock's been avoiding me for the last twenty-four hours. That is not like him."

"Definitely not," Jak agreed, rolling his eyes internally. Taking a deep breath, he schooled his features into what he hoped was a truthful expression and held Syd's blue-eyed gaze determinedly. "But he said he's been swamped with Morrison pushing the team training program, again."

That, at least, was the truth.

"Morrison." Syd grimaced. "I wish I knew what he was really up to."

Jak was suddenly sorry he'd brought the topic up, though at least it had distracted her from Murdock. He took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"You need to let it go, Syd. Before it gets you in hot water with the base brass."

She gave a little grunt, and then shrugged. "I've been in hot water since the day you flew me here from Da Nang, Jakowski. Technically speaking, it's all your fault."

Jak lifted her hand to his lips, then grinned widely at her.

"I'd do it again, sweetheart."

"You southern boys, you're all charmers." She stood. "I hear Kate out there talking to the nurse on shift. She'll be wanting you to herself, so I think I'll bow out gracefully."

"You don't hafta rush off jus' cause Katy-did's here," Jak protested.

Sydney leaned down and gave him a peck on the lips then pressed her cheek to his and whispered, "Take care of yourself, Jak. And take care of Katie, too. I love you both more than you know."

"'Bye, Syd."

She smiled and turned as Katie hurried up. They exchanged a brief greeting before Syd strode out of the infirmary.

An involuntary shiver shook Jak's entire body as Syd disappeared from his sight. A hollow emptiness seemed to be left in its wake. He frowned.

Kate sank into the chair Syd had just vacated, and gave him a quizzical look. "What's wrong, hon?"

"Ya ever get that eerie feeling like you're seeing someone for the last time?"

Glancing back to where the curtain still swung from Syd's exit, Kate pursed her lips. "Sydney? No. You're just feeling that way because you're going home. We'll see Syd and HM again. I know we will."

Bolstered by Katie's certainty, Jak nodded and pushed the worry from his mind. Kate had a woman's intuition about things.

He'd trust that.

 _TaCA_


	16. Chapter 15 Plans Within Plans

Disclaimer: I still don't own the A-Team.

Enjoy!

 **Chapter 15 Plans Within Plans**

"It's hard to believe it's only three days until Christmas," Kate said as she slapped a bow on another present.

The nurses had gathered to wrap gifts for the children at the local orphanage, and Kate had dragged Sydney along. Glancing sideways, Kate watched as Syd tried to wrap a toy helicopter that had been crafted out of wood, with a nail holding on its popsicle propellers. She was currently wadding up newspaper to pack under the rotors, and provide a semi-normal surface to wrap.

"Having trouble, Syd?" Kate asked with a giggle as one of the popsicle sticks ripped through the cheap wrapping paper.

Tossing the paper aside, Sydney picked up a bow and attached it to the top of the toy chopper. "I give."

Kate handed her a stack of story books. "Here. These should be easier to wrap."

Syd grimaced as she accepted the books. "I'm afraid my mother and I never wrapped gifts. We usually felt pretty lucky if we had gifts, let alone wrapping paper."

Kate shook her head. "I can't imagine. Were you that poor?"

Shrugging, Sydney said, "We lived on the ragged edge of poverty most of the time, but it wasn't all bad."

"How did you manage college?" Kate asked.

"Scholarships and work," Sydney answered curtly.

"What I want to know," Leia said, looking over at Syd shrewdly, "Is just how you ended up working for the CIA as a field agent. I didn't think the CIA hired women as anything other than secretaries."

"If I told you I'd have to kill you," Syd said, face set in a bland expression.

Kate smacked her arm. "You're going to frighten them, Syd."

Sydney gave a dry chuckle. "Sorry, Leia, I couldn't resist. The truth is that the CIA tried to relegate me to a desk in Saigon. I just refused and kind of… reassigned myself. Honestly, if it hadn't been for Hannibal speaking up for me when I showed up at Nha Trang I probably would have been sent packing."

"Hannibal," Leia said with a sigh. "He's one of those ruggedly handsome loners that makes me swoon."

"I don't think I've ever even seen Hannibal with a woman romantically," Sydney said. "He's strictly business."

"Do you think he has a lady back home?" Leia asked.

"He doesn't," Kate said. "Even in Hawaii he was alone most of the time."

"Maybe you have a chance, Leia," Ann, one of the other nurses, said.

"Maybe," Leia said with a hopeful smile, then snorted. "I doubt I'll get that lucky, though."

Carla, the newest nurse in their group, piped up, "Katie's the lucky one. Her pilot friend, HM, seems like a really sweet guy. I hope I meet someone like that."

"Kate is leaving in a few weeks – that means Captain Murdock will be back on the market," Ann said, then raised an eyebrow and gave Kate a questioning look. "Unless there's something Kate isn't telling us."

Glancing at Syd, Kate saw her dip her head, laser-focused on wrapping the book in front of her.

Kate glanced around the group, then spoke firmly.

"Trust me, HM is taken."

Ann gave a shrug of acceptance.

"All the good ones are."

"Oo," Carla exclaimed, cheeks coloring. "Here he comes. Hi, HM!"

"'Lo, ladies," HM said, then leaned down to give Kate a kiss. "Hey there, beautiful. How's the wrapping comin' along?"

Kate smiled at him as he stepped one leg over the bench and took a seat facing her, and away from Sydney.

"We're just about done here. How's Santa's sleigh coming?"

"BA and Gravy just about got 'er done," HM said.

"What the hell happened to your face?" Sydney asked suddenly.

HM grimaced as he turned to look at her over his shoulder. "Just a little tussle at the bar. I'm ok."

Syd glared at him. "With who?"

HM played stupid. "Huh?"

"Who were you fighting with, HM Murdock?" Sydney asked.

Taking a deep breath, HM seemed to be casting about for an escape route. When none presented itself, he blew out the breath and muttered, "Lewis," in response.

"Unbelievable."

"He started it," HM said petulantly.

Sydney picked up the books she'd just finished wrapping. "You can be such an asshole," she spat, then turned away to push the presents under the tree before standing and looking pointedly past HM to Kate. "Thanks for inviting me along, Kate, but I have a couple errands to run so I'm gonna have to skip out on lunch. See you for dinner?"

"Sure, Syd. Around eighteen hundred?"

Sydney nodded with a tight smile, then turned and strode out of the tent without a backward glance.

Kate leaned in to HM and hissed. "I told you –"

"Yeah, I know. I know." HM muttered irritably. Standing he cast a distracted smile around the group of gaping women. "See y'all later."

He then hurried out of the tent – no doubt pursuing Sydney.

Kate giggled. "He hates it when Sydney is mad at him."

"Doesn't that make you jealous, Katie?" Carla asked.

"Not at all," Kate said breezily, hoping to discourage any further questions. "Syd and HM are like brother and sister."

"Really?" Ann said. "Because I heard they were lovers for a while. Then Lewis assigned Sydney to Smith's A-Team so that she'd be off-limits to HM. That's the rumor anyways."

Kate gave Ann a sharp look. "Do you believe every rumor you hear?"

Ann shrugged and lapsed into silence.

Leia stood with a clap of her hands. "Well, it looks like we're done here. Is anyone else as famished as I am?"

Everyone stood and the tension evaporated in friendly banter as they made their way to lunch.

Looping her arm through Leia's, Kate leaned in and whispered, "Thank you."

"Ann's a huge gossip, Kate," Leia hissed back. "That little display in there is going to be spread all across the base by tonight. HM and Syd had better be careful."

Kate pursed her lips and nodded in agreement.

"I'll warn them."

 _TaCA_

Sydney swallowed, fighting off a wave of nausea caused by the knot of anger and worry currently fisting in her gut. Murdock just did not get it. Lewis would kill him as soon as look at him. From the looks of his face, the only thing that had saved the foolish pilot was that Lewis was like a predatory feline – he liked to play with his food before striking the killing blow.

The thought hit her like a physical blow.

"Syd!"

The call came from a ways off. She lengthened her stride, though she knew outpacing Murdock was futile. She turned a corner abruptly, then another.

"Syd!"

Closer this time and she could hear his feet pounding after her. She turned toward the Team barracks and Hannibal's hooch. She needed reinforcements.

He caught her shoulder, halting her forward momentum. With a grunt, she wrenched out of his grasp. Murdock took a reflexive step back when she turned to face him.

Holding out his hands, palms up, he pled, "At least let me tell you what happened. It's not what you think."

Out of the mottled black and blue of his face, his warm brown eyes shone with remorse. She felt her face slip into a worried frown, then ground her teeth.

 _You're pissed at him, Sydney,_ she told herself sternly.

"What I think is that you got into it with Lewis," she growled.

"I just went to talk to him," Murdock corrected. "When he got cranky with me, I tried to walk away –"

"You _tried_ , huh? How hard?"

Pressing his lips into a thin line, Murdock narrowed his eyes at her. "I turned and went to leave the bar when it became evident that he was not willing to help me. But as soon as I turned my back, he cold-cocked me." He crossed his arms, adding, "And I wasn't going to let that go."

That was a very truthful and serious Murdock talking – she could tell because there was no hint of his Texas drawl present.

She swallowed. That cold, sick knot in her gut grew another few centimeters – there were times when it felt like it was beginning to squeeze her heart out of her chest.

She turned toward Hannibal's hooch with a shake of her head. "I wish you'd just steer clear of him."

Falling into step beside her, Murdock assured, "I usually do, but I had to talk to him…"

"Why?"

"I needed to get in touch with Einstein." Murdock shrugged. "Turned out he was already on base, which was convenient. If a bit strange…"

"Einstein? You mean lke Cheney?"

"Yeah."

"Why did you need to see him?"

Murdock cast a sour look at her. "Because a certain little spook I know is getting into things she shouldn't."

Sydney's heart nearly leapt out of her chest. "You didn't tell him about what I told you the other night, did you?"

"No. But I did ask him about the smuggling ring investigation –"

Panicking, Sydney looked around wildly, relieved no one was nearby. She grabbed Murdock's arm and shoved into Hannibal's hooch without knocking.

Murdock was caught off guard. "Syd, what the hell?"

 _TCA_

Hannibal was surprised by the unheralded visitors, but his surprise turned to interest when he saw who it was.

He smirked at the two youngsters that had just barged in. "Knocking is customary."

On closer inspection, he noticed the panic in Sydney's eyes. He stood, giving her a concerned look. "What's wrong kiddo?"

She gritted her teeth audibly before replying. "Did you tell Murdock to ask Cheney about the smuggling?"

Hannibal sighed and motioned for them to sit. "Not exactly, but we discussed it. Why?"

While Murdock had slumped into a chair, Syd remained standing. Her arms were crossed, back stiff, face set in a worried frown.

"Syd, please, sit down."

"Hannibal, I told you to stay out of this."

"And I told you to drop it," Hannibal countered. "Seems neither of us listens very well."

Pacing to his bed, Syd dropped onto the edge of it and hung her head. When she finally looked up, her blue eyes were swimming in guilt.

"You have to be careful," she said in a hoarse whisper. "There's no telling who could be involved."

Hannibal sat forward with interest. "Do you think Cheney's involved?"

"Possibly…" Syd shrugged. "Likely."

Murdock shifted in his chair. "I don't want to believe it," he said firmly, then frowned. "But he was definitely hiding something. Hell, though, it could be anything with lke. He is a fucking spy, after all."

Hannibal considered his pilot. Murdock was visibly conflicted about Ike Cheney. He turned to Sydney.

"So what makes you suspect Cheney?"

"Does it matter?" she asked snidely. "We're both leaving it alone, right?"

Hannibal smirked. "Obviously not."

"If I promise to drop it –"

Hannibal cut her off. "Don't insult me, Sydney. You aren't going to drop it." He leaned forward and pinned her with an uncompromising glare. "We've been through this before, Special Agent Wilson – you're a part of this Team. The independent bullshit stops now. If we're going after this smuggling ring, we're going after them together."

He sat back, pulled out a cigar and lit it, taking a long draw. Then he squinted at Sydney through the smoke as he exhaled.

"So, what makes you suspect Cheney?"

She shrugged. "He came to see me yesterday, and… I don't know. Something was off."

"Explain."

So Sydney launched into a blow by blow of her conversation with Cheney. When she was done, Hannibal nodded.

"Sounds like he was worried that you might have followed Kyeh. Good call leaving that out. Hopefully he believed you."

Syd grimaced. "Maybe, but it's hard to tell. Cheney's a tough one to read."

"How about you, Murdock?" Hannibal asked, turning to his pilot. "Did you learn anything from your talk with Cheney?"

Murdock shook his head. "Not really. Like Syd said, he's near impossible to get a gauge on and he's always on guard. Partly comes with the territory. But he did seem kinda disturbed that I was asking around about the smuggling ring. Told me I should steer clear of it because of my past."

Hannibal nodded. "Good advice."

"He said he has contacts in the task force – said he'd look into it for me."

Sydney was peering at Murdock. "You trust him?"

Murdock's head bobbed back and forth. "Yea, I trust him. He's always had my back in the past. Got me outta coupla scrapes when I was with the CIA. He's not a bad guy."

Biting her lip, Syd warned, "I know for a fact that the task force was investigating Cheney. You have to be careful, HM."

" _I_ have to be careful?" Murdock's eyebrows shot up. "I am not the one traipsing through the jungle after a VC officer deep in North Vietnam."

"Traipsing? Really?" Sydney snorted.

"I'm being serious."

Hannibal stood and patted Murdock's shoulder in commiseration. "You're both right. We all have to be cautious. I have a couple of feelers out myself. Keep your ears open and let's revisit this discussion next week. I should have heard back by then."

Murdock stood. "I think we're being dismissed, sugar."

Hannibal opened the door to his hooch, and pointed out. 

"You might even say you're being shown the door."

They filed out.

"One last thing," Hannibal said, pinning each of them with a stern glare, in turn, "Please behave. Both of you. We have to fly under the radar on this one."

They both nodded, and Hannibal closed the door. It bothered him that Sydney was so spooked about Cheney. Maybe sending Murdock to talk to him had been a mistake.

He tapped his finger on his desk, chewing on the Cheney problem for a few seconds before coming to a decision.

He was in this deep, he might as well ask a few questions about Ike Cheney.

Walking out of his hooch, he caught sight of Syd and Murdock turning a corner, side by side. He shook his head, as the persistent worry about keeping that relationship under wraps flitted to the surface of his overactive brain. Anyone who knew those two could tell there was more there than friendship. He grunted.

One problem at a time.

he turned toward Communications.

 _TCA_

"Promise me you'll stay away from Lew, HM," Syd pled.

"Cross my heart -"

Sydney took a step sideways, shouldering him. "Don't say it."

HM's wry sideways grin made her smile, but his gaze suddenly shifted, and he gave a frowning grunt. "And here's me, keepin' my promise. Catch ya on the flip side, sugar."

He turned and strode away, leaving Syd to look after him quizzically. She shrugged and turned toward her hooch, only to find Lewis lounging outside, obviously waiting for her.

"That explains that," she muttered to herself, then gave Lew a tight smile as she approached. "Hey, Lew, what's up?"

"What were you doing with him?"

Crossing her arms, Syd responded, "Meeting with Hannibal to hash out an argument. Not that it's any of your business."

"Then where's he going?"

Syd pursed her lips. "Where you aren't, at my request." Peering at her partner, she added, "Looks like Murdock got a few good shots at you, too. Is it true that you sucker-punched him? Doesn't sound like you…"

Lew grimaced, direct gaze drifting down in a show of uncharacteristic guilt. "I'd been drinking – which tends to cloud my judgement."

When he looked back up at her, Syd was surprised, and disturbed, to recognize a flicker of fear in Lew's amber eyes. It was quickly hidden, but there was no mistaking the disquiet in Lew's normally-impassive gaze.

Tilting her head, Syd asked, "Are you, OK, Lew? You seem a little –" she struggled to decide on a word that wouldn't irritate him, before choosing, "unsettled."

He gazed at her in stoic silence for an uncomfortably long time, then gave a jerk of his head toward her door. "Inside."

Syd obeyed without comment. Lew scanned the area outside her hooch, before entering and closing the door firmly.

"I spoke with Cheney. I know you did, too."

She gave a silent nod and waited for him to continue.

"Why didn't you tell me about the calendar entry, Sydney?"

"It didn't come to anything, so there didn't seem to be any point," Sydney said, then allowed shame to color her tone and expression. "Besides, I was embarrassed that I'd made such a fuss about staying in Dien Bien Phu, and then it was all for nothing."

For a big man, Lewis could move fast. Grabbing her by the shoulders, he lowered his head and pinned her with an angry glare.

"Don't ever do anything like that again, Sydney. Ever. Do you have any idea what kind of trouble you caused for me? For Cheney?"

A rough shove as he released her caused Syd to stagger slightly as Lewis turned away.

Righting herself, she rubbed her arms, sure there would be bruises where Lew had gripped her.

"I don't know how many times I can apologize," she muttered.

He turned on her, his face dark. "If there's a next time, you won't have a chance to apologize. Cheney takes a lot of heat for keeping you in the field, and he's told me in no uncertain terms that my job is to ensure your safety. You made it impossible for me to do my job, Sydney. If it happens again, and you survive, we'll both be out of a job. Am I making the situation perfectly clear to you?"

Her response was a single jerk of her head in the affirmative.

Lew took a deep breath, in and out, through his nose. "This is the last we'll talk about it. I just wanted to make sure you got the message loud and clear. It's not just your sweet ass on the line – don't forget that."

"I understand."

"Good."

"Since we're coming to understandings," Sydney said, deciding to press her own agenda, "Then I'd like to discuss Murdock."

Lew rolled his shoulders, a wary look on his face. "What about him?"

"Could you call a truce?" she asked hopefully. "I'm not asking you to like him, or even tolerate him. I know he can be a pain in the ass. Trust me – I get that."

Lew grunted.

"All I'm asking is that you two stay away from one another. Unless it's work-related, just steer clear."

"And you?"

"What about me?" Sydney asked, eyes narrowed.

"You should steer clear, too, Sydney," Lewis said. "Murdock is dangerous. He attracts trouble and you're bound to get caught up in it eventually."

"He's my friend. Just like Ray and BA and Face and Gravy are my friends. But you're not telling me to stay away from them."

"The whole lot of them are trouble."

"They're good at what they do, Lew. You said so yourself. And they've been good friends to me. I'm not walking away from that. Especially with Jak gone, and Katie leaving in a few weeks. I'd be totally alone if it weren't for them."

"You aren't alone, Sydney."

"This is my personal life, Lew. You may be my boss, and my partner, but you can't dictate how I spend my private time."

"No, I can't," Lew capitulated. "But as your friend, I am cautioning you about spending more time with Smith's Team. They have enemies, Sydney – dangerous people who may decide you're an enemy simply by association."

With a wry smirk, Syd shook her head. "I refuse to be cloistered like a nun while I'm here, Lew."

"That is not my intent. You could come with me to Saigon tomorrow. I have a meeting at HQ, but then we could have a few drinks and I can show you around the city. A few days R&R together in Saigon would be good for both of us."

Swallowing, Sydney shook her head slowly, hesitant to decline too hastily, though that was her knee-jerk reaction.

"I'm sorry, Lew, I can't. I… I already have commitments. The party for the orphanage is on Christmas eve," Sydney said.

"There are plenty of people who will attend. You don't need to be there," Lew dismissed.

"I promised Kate I'd provide the piano music." She put a hand on Lew's arm. "If your meeting is tomorrow, you could come back and attend the party with me. Kids are what Christmas is really about."

Lew looked at her hand on his arm, prompting Sydney to pull it back. She usually avoided touching Lewis, ever fearful of giving him the wrong idea. It occurred to her that she might have done just that.

Regret shone in his eyes when they lifted to look into hers.

"I have several days of business at HQ and won't be back on base until after the New Year." He leaned close to her, holding her gaze. "Come with me, Sydney. Please."

Taking a step back, she shook her head. "I can't."

His face hardened. "You mean you won't. I'm no fool, Sydney."

"I never said you were," she responded defensively. "I promised Kate, and I will not back out on her last minute."

"So that's the only reason you won't come?"

Sydney gave an uncomfortable shrug. "It's the primary reason."

"But not the only reason."

"I don't want to lead you on, Lew," Sydney blurted.

"And Murdock?"

"This is about you and me. Murdock has nothing to do with it."

Lew's face softened. "The war will end someday, Sydney. Our relationship will no longer be what it is today. What then? Will you come to Saigon and have a drink with me?"

Steeling herself, Sydney nodded. "Of course. As friends."

One corner of his mouth lifted in a half-smile. "I'll accept that. For now."

He turned and walked to the door, where he stopped and turned to look at her. His impassive mask back in place. He was all business.

"Plans are being finalized for the lean Alpha Teams under General Morrison. I will have final details when I return. While Smith and his Team may be headed state-side, you and I will still have work to do."

"Understood."

He gave a curt nod before pushing through the door and disappearing.

Taking a deep breath, Sydney dropped onto the bed and hugged herself.

What would she do when the Team headed state-side and she was left to her own devices with only Lew for company?

She suppressed a shudder.

 _TaCA_


	17. Chapter 16 Christmas in Vietnam

Disclaimer: Do not own the A-Team. :(

Sorry for the long delay. I was having trouble uploading storied, and then after putting in a request to the help desk, I kept forgetting to come back and find out if it was fixed (since they obviously do not send and email letting you know). Live and learn. The is the finale, for now. I hope you enjoy.

 **Chapter 16 Christmas in Vietnam**

BA grunted as Murdock padded the red jacket he was wearing with a couple pillows.

The pilot took a few steps back to survey his handy work and BA asked, "You done, fool?"

Murdock smirked at him. "Ya look like a fuckin' chocolate Michelin man in a red suit."

BA growled.

Holding up his hands, Murdock said, "I think it'll work. Kids ain't gonna care, nohow, s'long as you got presents to give 'em." He turned and picked up the pointed red hat and tossed it to BA. "Here's the final touch, big guy!"

Face slammed into the barracks. "Look what I acquired!"

He held up a green outfit, complete with a pair of pointy shoes with bells on them.

"Who's wearin' that?" Murdock asked.

"I figured you would."

"I'd be a mighty tall elf, oh facial one," Murdock said, shaking his head.

"Well, I don't know any dwarves," Face said.

Walking up to the conman, Murdock looked down with a mocking grin. "I don' know, I'd say you're a dwarf compared to me."

"I am not wearing that costume."

"C'mon, Face," Murdock cajoled. "It's for the kids!"

BA put a hand on Murdock's shoulder. Murdock looked back and BA gave him a curt nod and a surreptitious wink. Murdock took one long step to the side so BA had a straight shot at Face. BA moved forward until he was toe-to-toe with the conman.

"Put on the costume, Face."

"But –"

"No buts – put on the costume."

"BA -"

"Now."

"I don't -"

"Not tellin' you again, Face. Put. It. On."

Mouth pinched into a tight pucker, Murdock could tell Face was trying to figure out how to get out of his current predicament.

BA planted his feet shoulder width apart and crossed his arms.

"Now."

Face gave a growl of resentment.

"Fine," he relented. "But I'm not going to be fucking happy about it."

BA grinned, and Murdock thought he looked just like Santa. As big and mean as BA pretended to be, when he smiled it lit up his face.

"You a'right, Face. 'Member, i's for the kids."

Face gave an accepting grunt. "You know I'm a sucker for an orphan."

Murdock chuckled. "We all do, Face."

Turning an absolutely evil-looking grin on him, Face promised, "I'll go find you something to wear tonight, too, Murdock. We can be twinsies."

One glance a BA and Murdock knew he wasn't going to have much choice. He grimaced, then shrugged in acceptance.

"Guess I'll be Sasquatch, the great white elf o' the north."

 _TaCA_

"And I heard him exclaim as he soared out of sight, 'Merry Christmas to all. And to all a good night!'"

Kate looked down at the little girl in her arms as she closed the book. The soft, regular breathing, closed eyes, and happy little smile on the girl's face made Kate smile. She settled back into the corner, and turned her gaze out toward the joyous scene currently rioting around her.

Christmas had always been her favorite time of year. In war-torn Vietnam, it took on a whole new meaning, though. She allowed herself to submerge in the warmth and happiness that radiated around the children and doting adults in the room.

Murdock and Face, the elves, were playing ring-around-the-rosy with a group of children while singing songs about snow and twinkling lights. Nearby, Sydney played one holiday song after another, her sweet alto raised in Vietnamese versions of familiar holiday tunes that had never sounded nearly as lovely in English.

Santa BA had a group of rapt children gathered around him as he read the Christmas story. Ray, Gravy, Hannibal and a number of other soldiers were scattered across the room, each with small groups of children, playing or reading, while Kate's fellow nurses rationed out the last of the sweets and ensured that every child had the practical gifts of clothing they had gathered, in addition to a toy.

Kate was, as always, shocked by the sheer number of orphans, but pushed the thought aside. Now was a time for being thankful – the war would intrude soon enough with its harsh realities.

One of the sisters that ran the orphanage stopped and asked with a smile, "Can I take her to bed?"

Looking down at the sweet face, Kate hesitated. She was enjoying just sitting here with the sleeping child. But there was work to be done. Many of the children were beginning to yawn, and the sisters were slowly gathering the sleepiest of them up to trundle off to bed.

With a wistful smile, Kate passed the child to the nun who bowed before taking the little girl to bed. With a sigh, Kate stood and began to pick up the discarded wrapping paper and other trash. Leia met her and held open a trash bag.

"Wasn't it a great party?" Leia asked. "I think the kids really had fun."

Kate nodded in agreement as she and Leia continued around the room. "Absolutely. And you know what? So did I."

Leia grinned. "Me, too. Almost made it bearable to be so far away from home at Christmas."

Stopping in her tracks, Leia heaved a sigh. "Aw, how adorable is that? I'm telling you, Kate," she added in a quiet aside, "That man is going to make some woman very happy someday."

Following Leia's gaze, Kate found herself agreeing. Hannibal, who was usually distant and could come across very cold and calculating, was currently buried under a pile of small children, back against the wall, reading a book. The heads of the three boys with him were nodding, but the little girl was wide awake and absorbed in the children's version of Robinson Crusoe that Hannibal was reading.

Murdock appeared and dipped his head to give Kate a peck on the cheek. "Hey, there, cutie. The sisters said it's bedtime. I' gonna tuck this little 'un in and then be right back to help with cleanup. Shouldn't take long with all of us workin' on it."

Before long, the children were all in bed, and they had everything cleaned up. They bid the nuns goodnight and headed back toward base.

"I cannot wait to get out of this getup," Face said, tearing off his pointy hat and giving his jingling toes a glare with each step.

Murdock snorted. "At least your costume fits. I feel like a sausage in this thing you brought for me."

Kate gave Murdock's waist a squeeze. "I think you both look adorable." Looking over her shoulder, she added, "And you know, BA, it always astounds me how great you are with the children. They just loved you as Santa!"

BA beamed. "Was good for them kids ta get ta enjoy Christmas."

Kate was surprised to hear Hannibal's gruff voice chime in. "It was good for all of us. Christmas is the time to be reminded of the important things in life. The things we're fighting for."

Murmurs of assent faded into the hum of the jungle. Kate smiled, enjoying the sounds of nature without the clamor of war drowning it out. She would almost miss this place.

Glancing around at the ragtag group that she now considered part of her family, Kate shook her head and corrected herself. She would miss these people.

At least until they were all together again in the Real World. She was certain that would happen. She clung to her faith that they would be together again – in a better place, better time.

She had to believe that.

 _TaCA_

Syd sighed as she paced around her hooch again. She was in no mood for sleep.

Finally, she came to a decision.

Slamming out of her quarters, she jogged down the path, and around the intervening barracks until she saw the Team's sleeping quarters ahead of her. She smiled, recognizing Ray sitting outside smoking a cigarette.

She slid onto the seat next to him, noting the melancholy set to his familiar features.

"You ok, Ray?"

He shrugged, elbows one knees, dropping his cigarette at his feet and grinding it under a boot.

"Just missin' Trish," he admitted. "This is the worst time of year to be away from the people you love."

Syd reached over and squeezed his hand. "I know what you mean. This is my first Christmas without Mom. Seems hard to believe it's been almost a year since she passed away."

Ray pursed his lips. "You sure know how to give a guy perspective, Syd. At least I know Trish is home waiting for me."

It was Syd's turn to shrug. "I was thinking I was the fortunate one," she said with a smile. "All of the people I love are right here with me."

"Thanks, Syd." Ray smiled at her, giving her a kiss on the forehead as he stood up. "I'll go get the truants for you."

"I don't mind sitting out here talking to you, you know," Syd said. "I just could not stand being alone in my hooch tonight."

"Well, I'm old, and tired. I think I'm going to go have a long talk with Trish via a letter and then hit the hay. But I'm sure Murdock and Face will keep you company."

No longer able to sit still, Syd jumped up. "I was hoping so."

 _TaCA_

Inside the barracks, Murdock and Face were changing out of their elf costumes. Murdock pulled a clean t-shirt over his head and shoved his feet into his boots.

The night was still young.

The barracks door slamming caused him to swivel his head toward the sound. Ray was walking in, hooking a thumb over his shoulder.

"Murdock. Face. Somebody here to see you."

Face grinned broadly, bending down to retrieve something out of the bottom of his locker.

"She is reading my mind."

With a whoop, Murdock agreed. "It's a beautiful night for the beach."

Face stood up and held out the bottle of scotch that he had bought in Hawaii. "So, what are we waiting for?"

"Who's waiting?" Murdock turned and jogged out of the barracks, leaving behind a surprised Face, who had yet to put on his shoes.

Outside, he caught Syd around the waist and spun her around.

With a light kiss on the cheek, he said, "Merry Christmas, sugar."

Her smile was intimate, meant only for him. "Merry Christmas, HM."

They broke apart as the barracks door slammed open and Face joined them.

Chuckling, Syd said, "I knew you two wouldn't let me down. Beach?"

Face held out the bottle of scotch. "Where else?"

Turning toward the beach as one, they linked arms.

Murdock looked over at the two people he considered his best friends in the world.

"This is what I call a good Christmas," he said, contented.

Face and Syd grinned back at him.

"Merry Christmas!"

 _The End_


End file.
